Breaking the Spell
by Riley Sky
Summary: Underneath the happy-go-lucky Ranger Keith is one heck of a secret. When Kate discovers the "peculiar" curse, she stays by Keith's side to help him through it. Soon, darkness starts entering into Almia, with her in more danger than he is. But can Keith find a way to break his spell, save Kate and control his newfound emotions?
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! Call me Sky, the most epic ranger writer in the history of the world!**

***gets shield ready for whoever says otherwise***

**I've loved Shadows of Almia ever since I first played the game, the day it came out. Totally fell in love with the characters (….maybe a certain one…) and the story. I've written fanfiction before but many of the stories never made it off the notebook. I already posted a 1 chapter story which is available to read, just note its not related to this story.**

**Before we get started, I'd like to thank both Becca Days and Momoka Harukaze (aka two other epic ranger writers!). Their stories inspired the creative juices to flow through my brain again! Thanks Becca for helping me out and being my writing buddy! And thank you Momoka for those kind words and advice of your own! This is a tribute to you both!**

**Disclaimer for now and all chapters; I do not, have not, and probably will not (though I'd love to) own pokemon.**

**Claimer for now and all chapters: I own all the change in characters, original ideas and subplots.**

**Now then…let us begin…**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_In forest of tall trees, under the shroud of night, a little boy dashed through the forest. His heart was pounding against his chest, breaths were becoming harder, energy slowly draining. But it didn't stop him from running. He had to keep going. To get as far away as possible._

_The boy had seen too much…he witnessed things no person or pokemon should ever stumble upon. If he had only listened…just seen the warnings…had the common sense to turn back…._

_But no…instead he endured pain unlike anything else. _

_Even now the boy could feel some of that pain. Like heavy lock and chains were burdening him, crushing his heart and soul. As though he were constricted by some invisible force. It wouldn't for another day or two yet till he found what that force was._

_After the boy made it out of the forest, he still kept on running. He didn't stop till he came home. That night was like a nightmare….an unshakable, real nightmare…._

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_At the same time, on the other side of the world…a girl was undergoing nightmares of her own. _

_She had been running too. But never went anywhere._

_Instead this girl's body clung to the bed and her face scrunched at the pain of her mind. The pain her never-ending nightmares gave her. She was being followed…no…chased…by dark, sinister shadows. No matter where she went, no matter how much she cried and begged for it to stop…the shadow still stalked her like prey. Each scream was trapped inside herself, unheard by anyone else but the shadow. _

_The girl kept wishing to wake up…but when would she?_

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Okey dokey! Review! Tell me what you think of the prologue alone! Mysterious eh?**

**The next chapter is coming soon!**


	2. Welcome to Ranger School!

**YAY I POSTED CHAPTER 2!...did I shout…? …..YES I DID!**

**Oh I'm so happy! The prologue was a lil shorter than intended to be but I couldn't explain everything. You'll have to read to find out whats going on! Enjoy!**

(-) (-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Bravo. Excellent work. Heh heh…"

Kate turned away from the pichu, her very first capture. There was a man slow-clapping just some distance away. His face tilted up, revealing the features that were once darkened by the shadow of his cap.

"My name, it is Kaplan. Congrats, you're now a member of our army…an elite school of power no one has seen before…" The man told her. "As proof of your admittance, you shall keep the styler you have used for the test. With your help, we will take over th…"

"KAPLAN!"

Kate jumped at the sudden yell. Kaplan reacted the same way, though looking nervous as he saw the woman at the front door storm up to him.

"I thought I told you to stop scaring our students!" She snapped.

"Sorry, sorry!" Kaplan chuckled, uneasy. "The timing was just too perfect!"

The woman rolled her eyes. Kate gave a sweatdrop at the whole performance.

"Er…ahem." Kaplan turned to face Kate again. "Congratulations, you've passed our entrance exam with flying colors! Really…your skills are advanced for a newbie. You sure you haven't held a styler before?"

"No but I saw a lot of ranger captures in Ringtown." Kate replied with a smile.

She must've picked up some of their techniques while watching. Whatever it was, it got her in! Kate was on her way to become a ranger, her lifelong dream! It took every ounce of control not to jump around and do a victory dance.

"Starting today, you are now a student at the Ranger School!" The woman said to Kate. "I'm your teacher, Ms. April. It's a pleasure to meet a new student with such potential! Now let's introduce you to the class."

"Let's go!" Kate cheerfully followed Ms. April out of the Capture Hall.

"Have fun!" Kaplan called after them, just as Kate shut the door behind her.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Keith had been fast asleep on his text book when there was a shout. Something about…caps? Did some idiot get caught wearing a hat in the building again? Probably got yelled at.

Ms. April walked in a few moments later, grabbing the attention of the other students.

"Morning class. Sorry to keep you waiting!" Ms. April happily greeted.

"Morning Ms. April!" The class called back, though Keith was too sleepy for enthusiasm.

"Hey Ms. April!" One of the kids raised their hand. "Didn't you say we had a new student coming today?"

Oh yeah…Ms. April did say something about it…Keith wasn't paying attention but he did hear the words "new" and "student" before. Well whoever it was couldn't be a better ranger than him. Keith was already ranked as best in his class and the other class was impressed. NO one could beat him.

"I was just about to talk to you about that!" Ms. April said. "Anyways, due to some circumstances, our new student had to transfer to the school a few weeks later than usual. But anyways, here she is!"

The door opened and everyone looked. Keith found himself staring at a girl walking up to the front of the class. Two spiky pigtails made from her brown hair, light skin and cerulean eyes. Not exactly bad looking.

"Care to tell us about yourself?" Ms. April asked.

"I'm Kate Leon and I'm from Ringtown in Fiorre." She introduced herself. "I'm here to be a ranger!"

Perky and confident, hm?

"Keith, what's with the big grin?" Ms. April questioned him.

"It's going to be too easy to take her down." Keith thought, smirking.

"Anyways, you'll be sitting in the desk next to Keith." Ms. April told the girl.

Kate looked at the empty desk and then at Keith.

"You mean the guy with the exploded red hair?" She joked, sending the class into giggles.

Oh ha ha ha. A comedian. He was not goin easy on her now…

"That's it for treating you like the new girl!" Ms. April said as Kate sat down in her seat. "Now you're all my students who I take pride in to teach!"

Ms. April started to write on the black board.

"Today will be a free session. You're advised to make up any missing work you might have." Ms. April instructed. "Remember, let's all try our hardest to become rangers, operators and mechanics!"

The class burst into cheer.

"I'll be in the staff longue if you need me." Ms. April looked over at a blond girl. "Rhythmi, could you please show Kate around the school?"

Just seconds after the teacher left, Kate was surrounded by the entire class. She sweatdropped over the fury of questions that fired right at her. Ha. She'd never last as a ranger if she couldn't even handle this.

"Hey so what's Ringtown like?"

"Why'd you come to school late?"

"What made you want to be a ranger?"

"What do you think of the school so far?"

"HEY! New kid!" Keith shouted over them.

Everyone stopped, looking right at him.

"Dunno what your name is or if I care, but how long did it take you to capture the pichu? An hour?" Keith huffed.

"Hardly any time at all." Kate shrugged off his remark like it was nothing.

Keith didn't seem to faze her at all! Nothing! Nada! What the heck was with her?

"Don't listen to him." Rhythmi advised. "Keith's just a big show-offy jerk most of the time."

"I can hear you." Keith rolled his eyes.

Kate chuckled.

"Pay attention to me. I'm Rhythmi and I'm here to be an operator!" Rhythmi introduced her self, ignoring Keith.

"So you can help rangers and pokemon right?" Kate guessed.

"That and order Keith around." Rhythmi replied.

"You'd have to make me listen first!" Keith objected.

"Anyways, here's the classroom where we learn." Rhythmi started. "As you know, our teacher's Ms. April. Just don't make her mad. EVER."

Rhythmi started to guide Kate out of the class. Everyone went back to their seats, starting to study. All except Keith who was trying to think of a way to really test this new girl…

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate followed Rhythmi around the school, absorbing every detail. She was shown to Mr. Kincaid's room, though Kate wondered how no one died choking on hairspray fumes. After the "don't run in the halls" lecture, Rhythmi dragged Kate to the staff room and gave a proper introduction to Principal Lamont, who was quite happy to meet the new student. Then the library (also, Rhythmi teased, Keith's nap room) with an introduction to Issac the super genius and Ponte the marshmallow boy.

Next came the dorm rooms and Janice. Following up was a sentence or two about the "forbidden basement" and then to the training gym outside with Mr. Kaplan (Mr. Oh no you found my secret hide-a-way!) and Ms. Claire (who warned not to believe in Kaplan's conspiracies).

"EEEEEEEEEK!"

Kate and Rhythmi heard the scream the moment they set foot outside.

"Come on! Let's go see!" Kate grabbed Rhythmi's arm.

"Not so hard!" Rhythmi whined as Kate dragged her to the center of school grounds.

Janice, the caretaker, stood panicked as the bidoof ran in all directions like crazy. Kate sensed Janice had done something to set them off…wasn't entirely sure what but it was enough to make bidoofs freak out.

"I was wondering what the ruckus was." came a smug voice.

Kate saw Keith walking from the front doors over to the scene.

"Keith! Help us out here!" Rhythmi shouted.

"Heck, it'd be boring to just help." Keith sighed in a bored manner. "Hey new kid! Still have no clue what your name is but I challenge ya! Whoever catches the most bidoofs win!"

"Honestly…can't you even make an effort to learn her name…" Rhythmi muttered, rubbing her temples.

"You're on redhead!" Kate accepted, raring to go.

Kate didn't mind in the slightest. Sounded pretty fun actually. Plus she wanted to put that arrogant jerk in his place.

"And in five….four….THREETWOONEGO!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"I win! WOO!"

Keith was cheering, showing off his ranger pose. 5 bidoofs to four. Close match but he was the victor.

"You two looked good at it too." Janice complimented, stroking the head of the bidoof leader.

As Janice started to head off somewhere with the bidoof (with many apologies for stepping on their tails), the three students faced each other.

"Not a bad game. And you handled those bidoof way better than I thought you would." Keith said. "Maybe you have some potential after all, Kate."

"Keith you idiot! You DID know her name!" Rhythmi beamed, in a crafty way.

Keith was mumbling something under his breath, annoyed.

"Oh yeah! Kate, we still have one place left!" Rhythmi suddenly remembered.

"Do you mean the Ascension Square?" Keith questioned.

"Yep." Rhytmi answered.

"Well I'm goin with." Keith said.

Both guided Kate to the stairs that led down the cliff. Kate remembered this place from before, when she docked to school the first time and where Kaplan greeted her. It was a nice open field with a small wooden pier and a stone statue of the ranger symbol.

"This is the Ascension Square and that statue is our Stone Pledge!" Rhythmi spoke. "If you make a promise here, then its bound to come true!"

So THAT was what it was called. Kate never did get to appreciate the beauty of the statue until then. Kaplan had raced her off to the test.

"Thus concluding Rhythmi's Journey Around School!" Rhythmi announced. "I just know we'll be the bestest friends ever!"

"Hey come on!" Keith shoved Rhythmi to the side. "Forget her. Be friends with me?"

Both the blonde and red looked steamed, ready to plunge straight into war. Kate stood in between them.

"How about we just all be friends? The three of us?" Kate nervously offered, trying to keep them at bay.

For a moment, they glared at each other with suspicion.

"If blondie's cool, then so am I." Keith finally said.

"And I am…fire-head." Rhythmi agreed.

"I promise to stay friends with you guys forever." Kate pledged, pumping her fist into the sky.

"Promise!" Keith and Rhythmi did the same.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

The bell rang. Kate had challenged Keith to a race which he accepted right off the bat. He snickered at Rhythmi who tried to keep up.

But there was one question on his mind as he charged up the stairs.

Would they ever find out the truth about him?

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Ooooh! Keith's got a little secret? LETS READ HIS DIARY!**

…**shoot…I can't pick locks…**

**Anyways, review! And Thank you!**


	3. Curse in the Night

…**.zzz…..hm? Wha? OH CRUD I FELL ASLEEP WRITING!**

***gets up frantically***

**Hiya guys! Last chapter we had Kate make friends and create the power trio! Now we enter one of the most popular parts of the game into the story. Of course…things aren't as they seem now are they? Something's up. And you're gonna have to read it to believe it!**

(-) (-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Whatcha writing?"

Kate looked up in surprise, seeing Rhythmi stand over her. When the heck did she get there?

"Nothing." Kate shoved the paper under her pillow. "Just a letter to my little sister."

Night came quickly to the heck of a day Kate had. She had written to her sister, Megan, all about it. But what Kate didn't notice was a lot of the students were missing from the girls bunkroom. Until then.

"Hey, where IS everyone?" Kate asked, looking around.

Rhythmi smiled.

"Come with me." She motioned to the door.

Sneaking out? Not a bad idea. Kate got up, alongside Rhythmi, and left the room. She found that the missing girl students had all gathered in the main room. In fact…so were a number of the guys too, Keith included.

"You kept us waiting." Keith impatiently told Rhythmi.

"Oh hush." She rolled her eyes.

"I assume we're having a party." Kate kidded.

"More like a bravery test." Keith corrected with a grin.

"Four stylers are hidden in each of the downstairs rooms. It's up to you to retrieve them all and place them in front of the door to the basement." Rhythmi explained.

"No big deal. I've done it before. But you DO have that look to ya…" Keith's voice trailed off not-so-subtlely.

"Look?" Kate raised an eyebrow.

"That 'easily spooked' look." Keith said.

"Oh really? I'd like to see YOU go down there!" Kate challenged.

"Well it's never safe to go alone on these. So that's why you're paired with the kid who sits next to you. Since you have the aisle next to your seat, the only one who can go with you is…" Rhythmi started to say.

"Gah…you mean me…" Keith muttered.

"Come on!" Kate grabbed Keith's arm. "Let's go!"

They charged downstairs. But as they reached the bottom, Kate realized. It was late at night. Which meant it was dark. Really dark….

Kate shivered a little. She's always hated the dark. Made her nerves uneasy.

"Wait…relax…" Kate mentally reassured herself. "Keith's here…and I am NOT letting that redhead see me shake."

Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.

"WAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The two jumped back against the wall at the strange noises.

"What the heck is it?" Keith exclaimed.

They looked at the middle of the hallway, where a shadow came closer.

It….was….a bidoof?

"Whew…"Both sighed from relief.

"This place is way too weird at night…"Keith sweatdropped, trying to regain his cool act. "Let's get those stylers and go.

With a nod, Kate led them to the library, the first step of what would seem to be a long night.

(-) (-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Keith watched as Kate overcame each test before her. It took some figuring out in the library but she smashed the boxes to get to the styler hidden there. Keith tried to resist bursting out into laughter as he saw her struggle to catch that speedy pichu. And Mr. Kincaid's room? Way too easy. Just grab the styler and go.

But as Kate conquered each challenge, Keith had lots on his mind. It wasn't the fact their school was disturbingly scary at night (…maybe a little…). No he was concerned with something else, a bigger matter.

"Relax, relax. It's just a bravery test." Keith kept thinking to himself. "Nothing's going to happen. She'll never find out about…._it_."

At long last, Kate and Keith reached the final room…their classroom.

"Our own room's creepy at night…" Keith muttered.

"Definitely." Kate agreed.

But she ran inside and started to look around. Hey…..where were the boxes? Who was in charge of Ms. April's room? There were supposed to be b….nah, forget it. The sooner that styler was found, the better. For peace of mind, Keith just wanted to get out of there pronto.

"Hurry up with that styler!" Keith hissed.

"I'm looking as fast as I can!" Kate snapped.

He couldn't blame her. Must've been as creeped out as he was. Not that….Keith would admit it.

"Got it!" Kate waved the styler. "It was under Ms. April's desk!"

"Yes! We're out of here!" Keith quietly cheering, heading for the door.

Thud!

"Ack!"

That was Kate.

"What's wrong NOW?" Keith spun back around.

"My feet are tangled!" Kate replied, on the ground trying to tug free.

"You've got to be kidding…" Keith groaned, racing over to her.

Kate was trying to stand, her feet caught up in a clutter of wires.

"Must be for the mechanics class." Kate said.

"Ms. April should've put them away by now…" Keith grumbled, trying to untangle Kate's feet.

Yikes…what a mess. Kate's feet were stuck in there pretty good. What the heck was she doing? And couldn't she have looked before stepping into those damn wires? Honestly…

"Ok I think they're off…" Kate said, about to move.

"No, wait! They're not…!" Keith was trying to warn but Kate already tried taking a step forward.

BAM!

Keith landed flat on his back with Kate crashed down on top.

"OW! Nice going you clutz!"

"Who are you calling an clutz you redhead?"

"IDIOT!"

"JERK!"

All of a sudden, they noticed how close they were. Kate's hands were on Keith's chest. Their faces were just inches apart. Way too close for either comforts. Both expressions turned to confusion and awkward embarrassment, with a side of dark red blush.

"Oh no no no…" Keith's mind was racing.

He started panicking, feeling his temperature shoot up uncontrollably by the second. Keith hadn't looked at Kate closely before…but she was so damn cute….those sparkling sky blue eyes staring right into him….

"No no no no no!" Keith waited for the inevitable.

_POOF!_

A puff of smoke burst out of nowhere, separating Kate and Keith from sight of each other. Keith groaned, knowing all too well what was going. He was cursing under his breath for screwing up.

"Keith?" Kate coughed. "Keith? You ok?"

Ok? OK? Heck no! Everything wasn't ok! What a disaster!

The smoke started to die down. Kate waved the remainders away but immediately froze upon staring at Keith. Yep…he knew exactly what she was seeing. Kate was staring at him alright. But she was seeing a Pikachu in Keith's student uniform.

Her eyes…they turned to horror. Keith noticed her arms were shivering. Oh boy….this couldn't be good….

"What…the…." Kate's voice was small, scared.

"Kate…..don't freak out…." Keith tried to calmly tell her, his own voice a bit shaky.

She seemed even more frightened by that. Keith was hoping she wouldn't yell or run off.

"K…Keith?" She whispered.

"PLEASE don't freak out…" Keith begged.

Kate got off her knees and sat down on the floor. Keith was able to stand himself upright. He wasn't feeling good at all…terrified that someone found out his secret…but also lousy that he had managed to scare his new friend. Of course…would she even remain friends with him after that episode?

"Are you alright! But….ah….what happened to you?" Kate asked, worried. "Aw man…I'm so sorry….what the heck did I do to you?"

"No, no! It wasn't your fault!" Keith reassured her.

Well…not completely. It was his own stupidity that mainly caused the mess….

"But….but how? Why? Y…you're….you're a…." Kate stammered, bewildered.

No point in hiding things now. He'd have to come clean.

"Think you can keep a secret?" Keith questioned.

Kate nodded.

"Alright." Keith sighed. "About 6 years ago, I went into the deep part of the woods after dark and got kidnapped by a witch. I managed to fight back and run off but not before she place curse on me. Every time my body temperature gets too high, I transform into a Pikachu."

Kate remained silent.

"Whether it's fevers, too hot outside, warm contact like…er…what happened earlier…" Keith went on. "I poof into this. Once I start cooling down, I change back to normal…unfortunately…"

Keith held up his shirt.

"I don't exactly come back…clothed…" Keith's face was a little pink.

_Poof!_

As if right on cue, the smoke exploded yet again. Keith was turned back to normal, which was a relief. Well…if it weren't for the fact he was naked in front of his female friend.

"Sorry!" She turned away, flustered.

"It's fine!" Keith said quickly. "I'll get changed quick…"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate remained where she sat, hearing Keith get changed right behind her. Keith turning into a Pikachu…? Her own best friend cursed? That was a lot to take in….

Only hours ago she and Keith had that capture contest. He was so full of energy and confident (not to mention super brash). Hard to believe that he'd been carrying around a big secret like that. It must've been hard for him. To keep that humiliating, perhaps painful, secret. Especially to be friends with her and Rhythmi, maybe worried they'd discover it.

"Alright I'm done." Keith said.

Kate turned, seeing he was back to his regular self. As if nothing happened. Although Kate knew way better than that.

"Are you ok?" Keith asked, helping her from off the floor.

"Yeah…just a bit shocked…" Kate replied.

"I should've been more careful…sorry you had to find this out…" Keith mumbled.

"It's alright! My fault for getting stuck in the wires." Kate sweatdropped as she tried putting on a cheerful face.

Keith smiled too, though he still seemed off.

"Listen, whether you're human or pokemon, I still want to be friends with you." Kate told him.

"You mean that?" Keith was stunned.

"Of course!" Kate responded. "What you are doesn't change you from who you are. And you're great to be with!"

Keith kept his dumbstruck face for a moment. But he broke into a grin.

"Thanks." Keith relaxed. "You're the only one to find out…thank heavens you're not the squealing type."

"Hey, I can keep a secret." Kate said with a shrug. "Anyways, we better get back to the bravery challenge before the others wonder what happened to us."

"Right!" Keith exclaimed. "We still have the basement part of the test and then we're done!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

…well this was one night Keith wasn't expecting at all.

Like how they got spooked by some prankster gastly and yelled at by Mr. Kincaid (shoot…they were so close…). But it was more along the lines of Kate finding out about the curse. Keith never expected her to accept him and stay friends. He thought they'd just avoid each other all year…at best.

Keith did leave out one part of the curse to her though. It was also embarrassment that would change him into a Pikachu. And man was he embarrassed….

But why?

Why the heck did he feel that way? It was just Kate, his friend! Maybe she wasn't bad looking…kinda cute…

Wait…NO NO NO NO NO! Not cute! Not cute at all! And even if she was, then it wasn't worth transforming over!

...right…?

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Excitingness! **

**Keith's little secret is totally exposed to Kate! But it brings them closer than before!...maybe…closer still?**

**Coming up, the next chapter! And asprin!...for me. Falling asleep on the coffee table ain't comfy…**

**EDIT: I had so much trouble uploading this doc to the site! All of a sudden, after I email support, its fixed. Gee thanks irony...**


	4. Hidden Song and Coverups

***noms on cold pizza***

**Huh…maybe cold pizza isn't so bad after all…kinda yummy….**

**Oh hi! Chapter 4 is up and running! Here we touch base after the whole 'bravery test' scene. Read on and feel free to snack on something.**

***shares pizza with you fellow readers***

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_Hey big sister!_

_School sounds like so much fun! I wanna meet your new friends! But guess what? We're moving to Almia! Daddy says its to be with you but I think its cause mommy's always wanted to go there. Write back soon!_

_Megan_

Kate smiled as she read the letter down by the Ascension Square. A day passed since that night and not much was going on. The basement was completely locked off thanks to her. Despite being a few weeks behind, Kate handled the school work easy….with help from her friends of course. And speaking of friends, all three were hanging out together, even after what Kate found out (as promised, she told no one). They loved being down by the Ascension Square in the nice weather. It was decided to be their own little spot to chill out, talk, laugh…all that jazz.

"Hey? What're you smiling over?" Keith snatched the papers from Kate's hands.

"KEITH!" Kate shouted, trying to get them back.

Keith read over the letter as he defended himself from Kate's furious attempts to get it back.

"You have a sister." He said, handing the note to Rhythmi to read.

"You even mentioned us! How sweet of you!" Rhythmi commented

"So they're moving here hm? Didn't you say you're from Fiorre?" Keith asked.

"Yep! All the way from Ringtown!" Kate proudly answered.

"I came from Celadon City, Kanto." Rhythmi told them.

"Fortree City. All the way in Hoenn." Keith grinned.

"THAT far?" Rhythmi seemed surprised.

"I heard about the tall trees and the housing there." Kate mentioned.

"Yeah it's great! I loved climbing around, walking on the wooden bridges and even the thrills of being up so high!" Keith said, laying back into the grass. "It's way better than the hustle and bustle of the big cities."

"Oh yeah? Celadon's got way more stuff to do! Game Corner, biking roads, shopping….even eating contests! Something I'm sure you're interested in…" Rhythmi teased.

"Just because I ate your pudding cup…" Keith muttered.

"And half my lunch!" Rhythmi added, annoyed.

"So Kate, what's Ringtown like?" Keith immediately switched back to the subject.

"It's not big like Fortree or Celadon. Lots of small houses scattered across the open fields, a prairie to the east and a huge forest to the north. It's always so peaceful and calm there." Kate explained. "I guess to a newcomer, there's not much to do. But the fun for me was just running all over the place, exploring the woods…."

The two friends were quiet, listening intently.

"I even liked hearing about the legends passed around…" Kate continued.

"Legends? Like what?" Rhythmi asked, just as Keith was about to.

"Stuff like the legendary Celebi roaming around the woods time to time for the serenity. Or a kid being born with special abilities every few years. And I think there was one about an alien pokemon crash landed in the trees." Kate answered. "Even though there's evidence on the pokemon…I haven't actually seen them."

"And the kid with powers?" Keith questioned.

"I don't know anyone that extraordinary. Well…" Kate thought about it for a moment. "Maybe the rangers if you count them."

For a little while, the trio remained quiet. Kate leaned on the grass looking out into the ocean. Keith was lost in thought. Rhythmi looked over the letter again.

"….hey…whats this paper behind the letter?" Rhythmi asked, pulling it out.

"Wait…Rhythmi…!" Kate tried to stop her but Keith snatched the paper first.

"Hey is this…a music sheet?" He looked it over, showing Rhythmi.

"Come on guys! Give it back!" Kate yelled, embarrassed.

"Kate did you write this? Do you write music?" Rhythmi asked, excited.

Kate turned bright red.

"Yeah…music was a hobby for me…" She mumbled.

"What instruments do you play?" Keith questioned, looking over at the music sheet again.

"Guitar mostly. I know a little piano and ocarina…" Kate responded

"I bet you're a great singer!" Rhythmi squealed.

"Actually, I can't sing…" Kate's voice trailed off.

"Awwww!" Rhythmi moaned.

Keith looked over at her in suspicion.

"So when did you write this?" Rhythmi asked, handing the notesheet back.

"On the boatride, before coming to school. It's still a work in progress." Kate got the paper back and hid in her pocket.

_Ding! Ding!_

"Oh that's the bell! Free time's over!" Rhythmi leapt up. "Let's get to class!"

She already broke into a run and was up the stairs. Keith and Kate started walking.

"So you can't sing? Or is it that you won't sing?" Keith questioned her in a low tone.

No reply. Kate looked down at the grass. She was already feeling humiliated her friends found out about her music. Her spotlight should be on ranger-ing, not that…

"I told you my secret. Why not tell me yours?" Keith whispered to her.

The truth stung. Of course he had to throw THAT out there.

"Ok fine. I used to sing. Not in front of people. Just by myself." Kate confessed. "But there was an accident about six years ago and I haven't sung since. And I'm not going to start now."

Keith looked like he was going to ask why, question her further.

"Come on you guys!" Rhythmi called. "You're usually the ones who beat ME!"

"Alright we're coming!" Keith shouted back, starting to jog.

Rhythmi waited at the top of the stairs. The trio heard Rhythmi's name being called from the distance.

"Sorry guys! Gotta go on ahead! See ya in class" Rhythmi then dashed off.

Kate started to run up the stairs when her foot slipped. With a quick shriek, she started to fall backwards. Keith whirled around and took action, grabbing her wrist. He yanked her up but using way more strength than needed. Kate crashed right into his chest, their noses touching.

_Poof!_

The two landed on the steps. Kate was on top of Pikachu, aka Keith.

"Dammit…" He groaned.

"Sorry!" Kate apologized, getting off.

She still wasn't used to the whole "curse" thing. It'd take awhile before she would, most likely. As opposed to Keith who just seemed irritated about the whole thing.

"It's fine. Nobody saw." Keith sighed, sounding though he was trying to be patient. "Just head inside and I'll be there in a few minutes."

"You sure you don't need me to stay behind? I can help somehow." Kate offered.

"Kate! Keith!"

It was Ms. April. A little impatient too.

"It's no good if the teacher yells at us both. Besides, I need you to cover for me." Keith answered, gathering his clothes. "Say something like….tch…I dunno…like I'm getting my books."

"Got it!" Kate agreed.

Though she didn't want to leave Keith fending for himself, Kate scrambled over the steps and across the field. She joined Ms. April who was heading inside. Ms. April had asked where Keith was but Kate coughed up some excuse (though she didn't remember what it was). They went back to the classroom to join the rest of the students. Rhythmi had asked where Keith went as well but Kate just gave a slight shrug.

It was about 10 minutes later when Keith finally did show his face. Ms. April yelled at him for being tardy but it didn't seem to faze him much. She finally eased up, saying to use time more wisely and just use the bathroom earlier (so THAT was the excuse…).

Keith sat down by Kate, starting to catch up to the lesson. About 2 minutes later, Kate found a note on her desk.

_Thanks._

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Relatively short chapter for me to write.**

***chomps on last piece of pizza***

**So I threw in a hobby for Kate and a little bonding between her and flame-hair. There's also a little background on both Keith and Rhythmi as well but I'll touch more in base about their past lives at a later chapter.**

**As for the next chapter, you don't have long a wait!...though for me getting more pizza, THAT might be different…**


	5. Promises made

**Welcome back to the DUNGEON OF DESPAIR!**

…**kidding! Kidding! **

**Anyways, we join Kate, Keith and Rhythmi after the Ascension Square chat (and Keith's curse taking effect). Another day awaits them so shall we peek in the pool of wonder and excitement?**

***pushes readers into the pool***

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_Darkness…..darkness was everywhere….nothing but it….Kate knew this place…it haunted her for years…._

"_No…" She shook, feeling the air get tenser each passing minute "Please wake up…wake up wake up wake up…."_

_A dark pool appeared beneath her feet. Hands, so cold and slimey, reach out of the shadows and started to drag her down._

"_Stop! S…stop! PLEASE STOP!" Kate begged. "Don't take me back!"_

_She tried to move but was frozen in place. The dark hands kept pulling her further and further down. No matter what she did, Kate couldn't escape._

"_HELP!"_

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Hey you're lookin tired."

Keith heard Kate moan from within her arms. She had been lying face-down on the desk, seeming pretty exhausted.

"Up all night. Stupid nightmares…" Kate grunted.

"Are you alright?" Keith asked concerned, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him. Those dark circles were a little on the bad side…but they actually made her eyes stand out even more. From what he could tell, the nightmare had been a nasty one. There were still some traces of anxiety in those blue spheres….

"Hey love birds!" Rhythmi popped right over in a sing-song voice.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Keith yelled, his face red and hand yanked away.

"Yeah, I don't love him!" Kate objected, starting to wake up.

Despite it being the truth, it still hurt. Though Keith wasn't sure why. He silently took a deep breath and released it, making sure his body heat stayed down.

"Whatever." Rhythmi shrugged.

Another two or three days had past after Keith had changed on the Ascension Square stairs. No other accidents or close calls at all. But…there was one transformation. It had been in the dorm room area, after everyone else left. Almost everyone. Keith, running late, wanted to go walk down with Kate (who was also late) when he heard the girls shower on. She was…humming...and wow was her voice soothing…really clear and kind of sweet….to imagine what she'd sound like singing…

And then poof. Into a Pikachu. Hadn't even realized his heat had gone up.

Why? What was with him lately? Why did he stay behind to listen to her humming? How come those deep blue eyes suddenly seemed so pretty all of a sudden? And why on earth was he concerned about a simple nightmare Kate was having?

All those questions…no answers. And Rhythmi, for some unknown reason, had started hinting and teasing Keith into romancing Kate. Something Keith was NOT going to do. EVER.

"Students, take a seat!" Ms. April entered the room.

Rhythmi hurried over to her desk, as did the other students. Everyone turned their attention to their teacher. Ms. April walked to the front of the room, to her chalkboard.

"Do you remember what day it is?" Ms. April quizzed.

"OUTDOOR CLASS!" Everyone cheered.

"That's right!" Ms. April beamed with pride towards her class. "Today we have outdoor class!"

There was a note on Keith's desk just as Ms. April went over the 'expectations' speech.

_Remind me again what outdoor class is?_

Keith hastily scribbled back a reply.

_YOU DON'T KNOW? Gah…it's one of the most important days in ranger school!_

_Well SORRY! I haven't actually been there that long genius!_

_Today's where we meet an actual ranger! We get to ask questions and find out what being a ranger is like!_

_That sounds so cool!_

_Trust me. It is._

"And now class…"

Kate stuffed the note away inside her desk.

"Let's go to the Ascension Square and meet the ranger!" Ms. April cheerfully said.

All the students got up and went for the door, thrilled and eager to meet the new ranger. Kate, Keith and Rhythmi got together in a group and decided to walk together. The day was just perfect and sunny, great for outdoor class.

"I've got 38 questions lined up!" Keith eagerly told them.

"Lend me one of yours. I'm stumped on what to ask." Kate joked. "Hey wait…"

She felt her belt.

"Awww…forgot my styler…" Kate slapped her head. "Must've left it charging in the classroom."

"No big deal. We'll be back in a little while." Rhythmi shrugged.

Kate already bolted for the door to ranger school and ducked inside. That left Rhythmi and Keith alone. Which unnerved Keith greatly. That smirk she wore didn't make things better for the redheaded student.

"You know, if you're going to write love notes, you better make sure Ms. April doesn't catch you one of these days." Rhythmi teased.

"They were NOT love notes." Keith gritted his teeth. "Kate was just asking what outdoors class was."

"You mean she didn't know?" Rhythmi look astonished.

"Not at all." Keith replied.

"Wow…every ranger wannabe in the school looks forward to outdoors class." Rhythmi said.

At the precise moment, the front doors opened again with Kate slipping out.

"Well it wouldn't be a bad idea to try love notes anyways. It might be your only way to get her to like you." Rhythmi's devious smile flashed.

"It also might not be a bad idea for me to pound you!" Keith snapped.

"I leave you guys along for one minute…" Kate chuckled, running up to them.

"Hey what took ya? We better get moving before the outdoor class starts!" Keith impatiently told her.

He started down the steps with the two girls right behind him. They reached the group of students and faculty, surrounding the guest ranger. He was a tall guy…though it could've been the brown afro could've helped. Seemed happy to be here; happy to be anywhere. Had that "comedian" feeling about him.

"Everyone's accounted for! Let's begin!" Principal Lamont announced. "Students, this is Crawford. He's a graduate of this school and now he's a ranger in Vientown."

"Hey guys! Nice to meet you!" Crawford happily said, a Budew standing by his feet. "Here's my partner pokemon Buddy!"

"Thanks for coming!" The students greeted in a union.

"Feel free to ask him any questions!" Lamont told the students.

"Here's one." Ms. April spoke up. "Crawford…been awhile but, why an afro? Your old hair didn't look like a jumbled outgrowth…"

"Heh…" Crawford sweatdropped. "Ooook let's get questions from the students!"

All sorts of questions and responses flew out into the open. Crawford seemed ready for each and every single one.

"What made you decide to become a ranger?"

"Because I love pokemon. And I want to bond with them, be alongside them. Besides, it's a cool job!"

"Question! What pokemon are tricky to capture?"

"Well only speaking for myself, ghost types. Gets annoying when they poof and teleport during battle."

(Keith and Kate snickered at the memory of the bravery test gastly)

"Was Vientown the place you wanted to be assigned?"

"When I graduated, I didn't care where I went so long as I was a ranger doing my job. But now I love Vientown. Feels like home to me."

Keith was ready to fire his 30-something questions when Rhythmi shot her hand into the air.

"Me please?" Rhythmi spoke up. "Can you tell if I'll become an operator? There's nothing I want more than to be one!"

"This IS the first time we've met. But sure! Not a problem! You can totally become an operator." Crawford responded.

"YES! Those are the words I've wanted to hear!" Rhythmi relaxed.

"Hey, Rhyth. I think you're confusing him for a fortune-teller or something." Keith turned to Crawford. "How do you think I'll do? Will I be a better ranger than she is an operator?"

Rhythmi shot a fierce glare at Keith but he ignored it. Crawford gave another sweatdrop before answering.

"Now whose mistakening me for a fortune-teller?" He chuckled. "But your strength shines loud and clear. I'm thinkin you'll do a pretty great job!"

"Really?" Keith smiled, a bit awe-struck.

"You might be better than me!" Crawford told him. "That is if you can work hard!"

"Great! And my second questi…" Keith was about to ask something else.

"Hey no fair!" Another student shouted. "One question each, Keith!"

"And Kate didn't even get a turn!" Someone else called out.

"That's right!" Rhythmi dragged Kate (with a "hey!") out of the crowd and into the open. "Kate, ask Crawford something!"

"Sure…?" Kate looked at Crawford. "Have you made any mistakes?"

"Heck yeah! Like dumping juice over the styler….mistakening a stuffed animal for a pokemon….oh and putting my pajamas over my ranger unif…" Crawford stopped for a brief moment. "Hey don't make me say those things!"

Everyone burst out laughing.

_Ring Ring Ring!_

Crawford turned his attention to his styler. He flipped it out and answered the call.

"Weird timing as usual." Crawford smiled, shaking his head. "Crawford, here. What's up?"

"Voicemail! Voicemail! It's Barlow." The styler responded. "We've got a hurt mantine off the coast on an island. Must've hit a cargo ship. We need you to go with Luana and help out!"

"Alright boss! How do I..."

He was interrupted by a boat whistle. On the pier was a boat with a dark haired girl in a ranger uniform.

"Come on Crawford!" She yelled.

"Luana's got a boat ready." The man named Barlow said through the styler.

"Well I'll be darned." Crawford laughed. "I'll be there in a minute!"

After pressing a button, the communication ended. Crawford turned to the class.

"Sorry class! Gotta run! I'll give you updates later!" Crawford broke into a ranger pose. "Keep working hard, listen to your teacher and I hope I'll work with you all someday!"

He rushed towards the pier and onto the boat. The boat left, charging through the water at incredible speed. As it disappeared into the horizon, all of the students buzzed about the excitement.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate sat on the statue, alongside Rhythmi and Keith as they chatted about the visit. Even hours after Crawford left, they were still excited and amazed at what had happened.

"Did you see that ranger pose?"

"Yeah and the way he ran off to save the mantine!"

"Aw man that was great!"

"I'm even more pumped up about becoming a ranger!"

"What about his partner pokemon? Cute right?"

"I can't believe he said I'd become an operator!" Rhythmi squee'd with joy.

"Hey its not a for sure thing ya know." Keith said. "You have to grab hold of your dreams! Make them come true on your own!"

"I know I'm not giving up! I'll be the best ranger ever!" Kate fired up, re-energized by the conversation.

"Then you'll have some competition. Cause I'm not backin down either!" Keith challenged, equally as fierce.

"I'm going for it too! I'll make my operator dreams a reality!" Rhythmi joined in.

"How about we make a pledge then? Right here and now on the Pledge Stone?" Keith offered, nodding his head at the statue they leaned on.

"You bet! I'm pledging to it!" Kate agreed, placing her hand out.

"Ditto for me too!" Rhythmi added while doing the same.

"We'll all be the best of the best!" Keith set his hand on top of the girls. "And that's a promise!"

"YEAH!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Flashing forward a few hours, Keith was back at the pledge stone as the sun was starting to set. Too many thoughts racing around his head. That and the stuffy dorms were the reason he escaped outside earlier.

Only earlier the Ascension Square held excitement and wonder for all the ranger students as they asked questions to an actual ranger. Now Keith was all alone outside in the brisk ocean air.

"So you DID sneak out."

…not alone anymore. Keith turned his head to see Kate climbing down the stairs. She casually walked over and sat down right next to him.

Neither said a word. Keith glanced at Kate, who watched the sunset and relaxed against the Pledge Stone. The orange glow of the sun reflected onto her face. He could see the light dance on her eyes like a kaleidoscope. Maybe, in a strange way, Kate was…well…kind of…

"Are you ok?"

Keith came back down to earth.

"Hm?" He looked at her directly, confused.

"Is there something on your mind?" Kate asked.

"Not really." Keith lied.

Kate cast a doubtful look at him. She already knew something was up. Geez…it was impossible to hide anything from that girl! She'd always find out; intentionally or not.

"Alright…I was wondering if I really would be a ranger….if I'd actually make it." Keith came clean.

"Why question it? You're determined. You're willing to go the extra mile and do whatever it takes for your dreams to come alive." Kate said. "I bet that ranger earlier meant what he said too."

"Thanks but…what about my curse?" Keith stared down at the ground. "What if people discover this part of me? I slipped up once and now you know. It could happen again…but only the entire ranger base…maybe the union, would find out."

"These last six years I've tried to overcome and break this curse without any luck. All I can really do is avoid a disaster it could bring me…and who knows how long that will last? During missions and times of need, I could change into Pikachu form and make things worse. Would this curse just be trouble? I'd make a lousy ranger…maybe being the best isn't in store for me…"

Kate stared at him for the longest of times. She seemed shocked that he said that.

"Do you really think the curse matters?"

Keith looked up.

"No matter what you are, you're still the same nice, funny, show-off-y guy I know. And even if you transform into a Pikachu, our friendship will never change. That goes same for being a ranger." Kate told him. "And if the curse made things harder, you're not the kind of guy who quits. You'd just have to work extra hard to prove you're the best damn ranger anyone's seen."

Kate watched the ocean once again.

"Besides, we made a pledge here." Kate went on. "And I expect you to hold up your end of the promise, redhead."

Keith smiled, feeling at ease. Kate said the right words that made him feel better. She restored his confidence again. Being a Pikachu didn't matter anymore. Keith would just find a way to work around it and conquer mission after mission. Maybe it'd be hard…but he was ready to welcome the challenge.

A sound caught his attention. Keith found Rhythmi standing on the cliffs high above the Ascension Square, silently (but sneakily grinning) watching over the two. She pulled out some sort of notebook. With a ink-drawn heart on a page.

"RHYTHMI! You've got 10 seconds to live!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Authors notes; Rhythmi never heard the conversation that Keith or Kate had (too far up) and Kate didn't see the heart drawing.**

**So we've reached the end of another chapter! I actually can't wait to write about the Vientown Rangers like Crawford…but of course I know that would mean the school-scene having to end. Boo.**

**And coming to theaters this [insert close date] is the next chapter!**


	6. Letter from Home

**Writing in the dark is fun! I did it for hours on end!**

***slams right into something***

…**although running into things isn't so smart….owwwww….**

**Hey guys! Right up here is the next chapter in our epic saga of truth, courage, cupcakes and… **

**/sweatdrop**

…**ok no more writing in the dark.**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Cold weather struck Almia as late fall started to take into effect. Surprising really, since the warm weather decided to persist for so long. But the school decided no more free time outdoors, thus Kate, Keith and Rhythmi moved to the main room outside the dorms. No one really hung out there during the day so it was the perfect place to unwind, just chat among friends.

"How'd you do on your recent test, shorty?" Kate asked Keith.

"Shorty?" He looked up, stunned.

"You are kinda short." Kate pointed out.

"I am not!" Keith insisted, getting up.

Kate stood up. Same exact height. And Kate was normal height for a girl. Keith sweatdropped, his face a combination of shock and stubborn defeat.

"Hey you ARE short." Rhythmi stood up as well, her same height as the two proving Kate right yet again.

"I'm not short!" Keith retorted, collapsed into his seat

Rhythmi and Kate sat back down.

"It's eleven thirty. Why haven't we heard the lunch bell?" Kate asked.

"Janice said it'd be late today." Keith told her. "But I do have something to tide us over…"

Keith fished through his pocket, pulling out something wrapped in napkins. He unwrapped each layer to reveal three slices of golden brown banana bread.

"Where did you…?" Rhythmi was about to ask.

"I was caught running in the halls again by you-know-who." Keith rolled his eyes. "Janice felt sorry for me so she let me have some banana bread she made this morning."

"It's perfect for a nice cold day!" Kate said, reaching for a slice. "Would've been nice to eat it outside. I love chilly weather like today!"

"You kidding? I hate the cold." Keith bit into his slice.

"You don't?" Rhythmi asked, nibbling on her slice.

"No way. I've always loved hot places. Humidity doesn't even bother me." Keith shrugged.

Kate found it surprising. Here was a guy who had a curse that'd transform him into a Pikachu if he was too warm. And balmy areas weren't the best place to prevent it. It was a little sad that her friend couldn't fully enjoy the tropical places. And she suspected Keith knew about that irony as well.

"Hey weren't you asking me something earlier?" Keith asked Kate.

"Oh yeah." Kate remembered. "How'd you do on the test?"

"I don't think it was the best score…" Keith nervously chuckled. "I fell asleep in the library while studying.

"AGAIN?" Rhythmi groaned.

"Maybe you should study somewhere else!" Kate suggested. "At least study a little extra for the next test tomorrow."

"We have a test tomorrow TOO?" Keith shouted.

"Yeah it's the unit test." Rhythmi told him.

"Crud! I have to study!" Keith exclaimed, scrambling up.

He shoved the rest of his banana bread into his mouth and started to bolt down the stairs. It wasn't long until Kate and Rhythmi heard an "ack" followed by thuds and a crash.

"Did he…?" Kate blinked, staring at the steps.

"Yep. Slipped right down the stairs." Rhythmi sighed.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Keith moaned, lying on the bed. He held an icepack, switching it from his head to shoulders and vise versa every so often. Bruises were all over his legs and arms. Some muscles were pulled. Man did it hurt…he'd be feeling sore for awhile…

"Are you sure you're ok?" Kate asked, sitting on a chair nearby.

"I'm fine." Keith reassured, cringing at the pain as he tried to sit up. "Janice said it was just a fall. She just wants me to ice up and rest for a bit. You know how she mothers everybody."

Kate grinned. Seeing that, Keith was already starting to feel better.

"So did the mail come?" He asked.

"Yeah. Rhythmi went off to respond to her parents. And I got my letter from my sister." Kate flashed the envelope.

"Well…? You gonna read it?" Keith questioned.

Kate opened the letter and read it out-loud.

_Hi Kate!_

_Daddy's been looking at houses again and I saw a picture of this really pretty one! It's in a place called Chicole village and I think that's where daddy wants to go! I wish I could see you again. It's not the same looking at a picture. But the one you sent with your friends was cool!_

_Megan_

_P.S. I sent a picture of me, daddy and mommy when we went to Fall City! It was so fun to see the parade!_

"You sent a picture of us to your sis?" Keith was taken aback.

"Ms. April took one of us when we were talking at the Ascension Square. She gave me a copy and I sent it to my family." Kate told him.

"So you have a sister named Megan and then a mom and dad." Keith said, trying to get it straight.

"Yep." Kate handed the picture attached to Keith.

A child and two adults were smiling at the camera, with confetti and a crowd in the background. Keith could tell the little girl was Kate's sister, Megan. There was some definite resemblance between those two. The adults beside her had to be the parents. Though she didn't look much like her father, Kate looked very similar to her mother.

"Not bad." Keith gave the picture back. "They seem nice."

_Ding! Ding!_

"Lunch bell!" Kate looked up at the clock, which read twelve fifteen. "Would you be ok in here by yourself?"

"Of course." Keith shrugged, trying not to show any pain from doing that action.

"Thanks!" Kate ran to the door but then paused, looking back. "Hey Keith?"

"Yeah…?"

Kate stared at him for what seemed like a long time.

"Try to be careful sometimes." Kate warned.

Her eyes were serious. Those shiny blue crystal eyes of hers…they sent shivers down Keith's spine as she said that.

"I'll try." Keith told him, word of honor.

Kate's eyes melted back into her sunny disposition. Keith instantly relaxed again seeing her as her regular self again.

"Thank you!" She snuck out the door, leaving Keith alone in the room.

He fell back onto his bed (regretting it instantly, as per pain). Looking over at the bedside table, Keith found that Kate left her letter behind. He'd have to deliver it to her later. But feeling bored, he picked up the letter and picture again.

Hard to believe Kate mentioned him and Rhythmi to her family. Even to send a picture to them…that had to mean something. But Keith couldn't help wondering what Kate said about him. Seemed to be good, judging on the letters. Still…what did Kate really think of him?

Keith was about to set the stuff back on the table when he noticed the opened envelope. He grabbed it and looked it over. The envelope style seemed different; probably Fiorre stationary specialty or something. The return address read Kate's sisters name, "Megan Evergreen". Yet…something seemed amiss. Why? What could be wrong?

….Keith realized.

Kate's last name was Leon.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Confused? You should be! MUA HA HA HA HA! I'll leave you to question why these two sisters would have different last names. You'll be finding out in one of the future chapters what the real scoop is. As for next chapter, you guys won't have long await!**

***crashes into wall***

**Now if you excuse me, I have lightbulbs to fix…**


	7. Stop Thief!

***scrambles in to write & update***

**Woo! Crazy family reunion over here! Kind of a miracle I could squeeze my writing in….**

**Anyways, back with more adventures from the trio! I'll be introducing a scene you all know from ranger school BUT with my own little twists… D**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Good news class!"

Everyone in the room piped down to hear what Ms. April had to say. Rhythmi, who had been chatting with Kate, slid back into her seat.

"The mantine that Crawford rescued has recovered and is now being released back into the sea." Ms. April told the students.

A cheer burst from everyone, followed by a buzz of excitement. Kate was about to turn to Keith but noticed his seat was empty. Keith wasn't in the room. Did sleep late again? Or possibly got held up by Mr. Kincaid? Either possibility was likely but it was already half an hour into the class. Keith was never that late.

"Where's Keith?" Rhythmi asked, looking puzzled over the desk where he should be.

"I haven't seen him all morning." Kate answered. "I wonder where he could be…"

Ms. April had gone and picked something up from her desk. On Rhythmi and Kate's desk, she placed a styler. But unlike the school versions, these were red & white with a symbol…the official ranger stylers. The class gasped and admired them.

"Now these are actual ranger stylers. The Ranger Union let us loan them for today to teach you about using them." Ms. April was saying. "Unlike you school stylers, these allow Rangers and Operators to communicate using the voicemail system. Kate and Rhythmi, go to the other sides of the room and press the speaker button on the stylers."

Both got their stylers and did as instructed. They threw out some phrases and the class clapped over the communication.

"_You worried about Keith?"_ Rhythmi whispered via styler.

"_Yeah…he wouldn't want to miss this…"_ Kate replied in a hush tone.

"MS. APRIL!"

Everyone turned to the door, which burst right open. Mr. Kincaid, steamed about something or another, stormed into the class and right up to Ms. April's desk.

"I hope none of your students are running in class. But this is a serious matter!" Mr. Kincaid said. "It's about one of your students! Keith is going to be in monumentally gigantic trouble!"

Kate and Rhythmi glanced at each other, alarmed.

"Well he IS late today and its not like him…but I doubt that it's a cause for being upset. Nor is running In the halls." Ms. April told him.

"Oh no it's MUCH more serious than that. And him being 'late' only proves it." Mr. Kincaid said. "Downstairs in the basement is a storage for all the ranger stylers. Or should we say 'was'? Almost all of them had disappeared without a trace."

"And you automatically accuse one of my students?" Ms. April questioned, suspicious.

"Usually no. But Keith is a trouble-making, pranking little thief. Probably late for finding a place to stash the stylers." Kincaid went on.

"HEY!" Rhythmi objected. "Keith is a prankster but he's not a thief!"

"Keith would never do a thing like that!" Kate shouted.

"Oh be quiet you two. Keith has gotten into much more trouble than anyone else here in school." Mr. Kincaid waved them off. "He's ran in the hallways too many times to count! The boy's snuck into the basement which is forbidden! He's…"

"I snuck down there too Mr. Kincaid! I've run in the halls! And you're not accusing me!" Kate pointed out, feeling more than irritated towards Mr. Kincaid.

"True. But you're here in class aren't you? And I've seen you all morning, including the time I lectured you AGAIN about running in the halls." Mr. Kincaid reminded. "Meanwhile Keith hasn't been seen at all. It's only natural to have suspicion."

"Didn't you say not to judge someone suspicious without proof?" Ms. April asked.

Mr. Kincaid didn't respond. But instead the other students were willing to go help find Keith. They ran off as Ms. April talked to Mr. Kincaid of trying to find Keith before casting any wrong-doings on him. Rhythmi and Kate got together and went into the hallway.

"I'll look around upstairs. You check downstairs." Kate instructed.

"Good plan. We'll use the stylers to radio in on progress." Rhythmi agreed.

The two split up; Kate bolted up the stairs as Rhythmi dashed around the ground floor. Kate made it to the top but with no luck. A male student had been searching the dorms; no Keith. And the main room was void of anyone else.

"Keith…where are you?" Kate muttered. "You've got to be innocent…"

Ring! Ring! Ring!

It was the styler. Kate flipped it open.

"Kate! I've got a lead! Meet me at the front doors! NOW!" Rhythmi quickly said in a loud voice.

The communication ended right after. Kate slid down the stairs railing and ran (yes both things Kincaid would've yelled at her for) to the front doors. Rhythmi was already there, relieved Kate made it down so fast.

"Kate! Janice found this in the courtyard!" Rhythmi handed Kate a styler.

Not any styler. A school one. New and unused. It had to be from storage.

"Come on! Let's go search!" Rhythmi said as the two jumped out the door.

The search didn't take long. In the middle of the courtyard, nestled deep in the grass, was another styler. A few more were dropped in direction of the stairs. Both girls followed the trail and headed downstairs to see…

"Keith!" Kate exclaimed.

It was him alright. And he was cornering a man in a white labcoat to the rocky cliff walls.

"About time you showed up! This guy here made off with the school stylers!" Keith told them, not taking his eyes off of the man.

The man was starting to freak out, now cracking under the pressure of three ranger students. It was then he shoved Keith to the ground and tried to make a run for it.

"STOP!" Kate chased him into a tree as Rhythmi helped Keith up.

The man found himself trapped again but thrust something from his pocket. It took Kate a moment to realize he was holding a knife to her throat. At the exact same moment, Ms. April had walked down the stairs and gasped at the scene.

"You stop!" The man shouted but his voice was starting to shake. "N…nobody moves! And….and nobody gets h-hurt!"

Kate was frozen into place, feeling the very tip of the knife poke her skin. She glanced from the corner of her eyes to see the other shocked in place at this turn of events. Though Keith seemed tempted to burst right over to where she was.

"Sir…you don't have to do this." Ms. April cautiously said. "Just let her go…."

"Please don't hurt my friend…" Rhythmi quietly begged.

The man didn't move. He looked back at the group for a second but kept his eyes on Kate. Kate was terrified but knew she had to keep cool under the situation. One wrong slip-up, even a cough, and she'd pay for it. But who's to say he wouldn't hurt her anyways? Who knew what was on this guy's mind?

Kate was thinking a thousand thoughts a second, trying to find some way to deal with the situation. That was when she saw the slakoth in the tree. It was lazily perched, leaning over the branch. Kate knew that slokoth was going to fall soon. Whether the branch broke or the pokemon slipped right off. Either way, it would be the perfect distraction that'd give Kate enough time to get the knife off of him.

Although this man seemed itching to run or jab her with the knife. That slakoth had to fall soon if Kate had a chance.

"_Come on…please…"_ Kate thought, her eyes focused on the slakoth. _"Please fall down…please fall down…."_

The slakoth yawned, looking her way. It blinked. And then fell right off the branch and onto the man's head. It started to claw his face, growling and squirming around the head.

"GWAHHH! Get it off, get it off!" He screamed, waving the knife around.

Kate smacked the hand that wielded the knife, causing the weapon to land a good distance away. Keith zoomed right over, yanked Kate a good distance away from the thief and stood in front of her.

"You ok?" He yelled over the man's high screams. "Serves him right for hurting you like that!"

But still…Kate didn't feel it was right. With a sigh, she moved past Keith and, with ease, captured the slakoth. The pokemon instantly relaxed and climbed back up the tree.

"Why did you steal our stylers?" Kate demanded.

The man didn't answer right away; he was trembling all over with fear written across his face.

"I…I can explain!" He stuttered. "See, I've had a lot of dreams over the years. One of my first ones was to be a ranger. I was never allowed to come here b…because my family told me it was too dangerous. My other dreams failed except for being a scientist…"

That would explain the labcoat.

"But I still felt guilty…for not even trying my ranger dream…" The man continued. "So I snuck in here and stole a styler. Then…then I guess I got into a trance seeing all those shiny stylers. I ended up stealing as many as I could carry and ran off. I'd probably make it if not for the red haired kid…"

"You held a knife to my best friend's throat!" Keith, aka red haired kid, spoke up. "What's up with that?"

"I…I…I always carry a knife for self defense!" The man told him, shaking even harder.

Ms. April walked right over, Rhythmi following behind.

"Our school does accept adults into the program. So if you wanted to be a ranger, all you had to do was apply." The teacher said. "But stealing stylers and endangering a student's life isn't the way to accomplish your dreams. Rangers would never do something so low."

The man's face darkened.

"I'm thinking it's time you go home and think about what you really want." Ms. April told him.

"You're not going to report me…? Aren't you mad at me?" The man asked.

"I'm furious, yes. But I believe in second chances." Ms. April pulled out some sort of card. "And when I searched the basement again, I found your ID on the ground. I've already wrote down your name and information. After what happened today, I don't think the principal will be accepting you."

She gave the man his ID back. He crammed it, and his hands, deep in the coat pockets. Silently, he dropped all the stylers he stole and walked from the school yard.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Here."

Keith put something on Kate's lap. All three friends were in the Ascension Square, a little while later after everything settled back down.

"Awww…Keith gave you a present!" Rhythmi teased.

Kate didn't pick up on the joke but Keith did. He glared for a moment before looking at Kate again. She unwrapped the napkin covered item to reveal a stack of chocolate chip cookies.

"My favorite!" Kate smiled, pleasantly surprised.

"I was allowed extra dessert for being wrongly accused…but you deserve them more." Keith told her, gazing at her with a gentle expression.

"Thanks Keith!" She bit into one.

It was a relief to see Kate happy and cheerful again. She was mad at him earlier for going off without telling her and for handling something so dangerous alone. Her voice was loud and rang like bells when she was yelling at him. But Keith had been horrified to find her _this_ close to being stabbed. Aw man the look on her face…she had known she was close to death. Her eyes were wide with terror, probably scared senseless. It took every ounce of willpower not to run right over to the guy and punch him in the face. As much as Keith wanted to save her, he couldn't risk putting Kate in danger like that. He was afraid to lose her.

Once that slakoth fell from the tree (something he never even suspected would happen), he whisked her away from the creep and tried to keep guard. But her kind nature helped the man out rather than let him suffer. It was amazing how Kate could be like that. Then again, rangers were supposed to help others regardless.

Thank Arceus Kate wasn't hurt. Didn't even seem traumatized by the event. Of course Kate was naturally brave and a go-getter. It was cool how she faced danger like that. She'd make for a pretty darn good ranger.

"You guys want one?" Kate offered.

Both friends accepted. Janice's cookies were the best. And Keith could feel they were still warm, freshly baked.

"Hey guys?" Issac stood on top of the stairs, looking down at them. "Lamont's looking for you Kate."

"Sure thing!" Kate leapt off the statue. "I'll be back!"

She jogged up the stairs and joined Issac as they walked through the courtyard.

"You should save yourself the trouble and just admit it." Rhythmi said.

"Admit what?" Keith blinked.

"That you like Kate!" Rhythmi scoffed, as if it were way too obvious.

"WHAT?" Keith exclaimed, his face a bit pink.

"_Calm down…calm down…don't transform here….not now…"_

"You like her! I mean you were so worried about her during that attack and even gave her cookies!" Rhythmi explained.

"I wanted to make it up to her! Our best friend was almost killed!" Keith shot back, his body heat still rising at the mere thought.

Rhythmi slid off the statue and started to walk off. She smirked before leaving Keith completely alone.

Like Kate? _LIKE_ Kate? How could he _like_ her like that? She was just his friend! They were classmates and rivals! The other day they were betting who could run the most laps in gym class (before they both collapsed on the floor). There was nothing else to be said!

_Poof!_

"I transformed again. Brilliant." Keith mumbled bitterly.

He scooped up his clothes and dove into the bushes. What the heck was wrong with him? Back in Hoenn, he only transformed under the heat (Fortree did have its humid days) but that wasn't very often. So why now? Now in Almia's cooler weather, he should've been able to avoid that better. Yet he was still changing in and out of Pikachu form.

There was another feeling, poking at him harshly beneath the skin. Like a lump in his throat collaborated with the pounding chest and lit up cheeks. What was this…?

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Exciting, no? Hope you enjoyed it and remember, I LOVE ICE CREAM! But if you can't spare that, then maybe a review?**

***dives back into the hecticness***

**I'll see you all soon! Next chapter won't be long!**


	8. A Shocking Turn of Events

***stumbles inside***

***crashes onto couch***

**Ugh…sugar hangover…the low that comes after the high….bleck….**

**Yo guys. The chapter took a little longer (and is a bit longer) than I expected. But I had a lot of fun writing this one! As usual, I took my own little spin on the adventure. Enjoy! **

**P.S. I feel like doing this anyways and it'll probably be best if I do so every so often.**

***stamps disclaimer across your computer screen***

**Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon. Wish I did. But I don't.**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Sunshine with lots of breezes. To Kate, it was a great day for the 1-day internships! Of course for Keith…

"Wish it had been warmer." Keith muttered.

"Oh come on! It's awesome out here!" Keith stretched her arms into the sky. "Besides, I thought you'd be more excited about being at an actual ranger base."

The redhead and spiky ponytailed friends were on their way out of the school. They were on their way to Vientown, which wasn't so far. Rhythmi left earlier for her internship at the Ranger Union (very ecstatically at that) since hers was reasonably distant.

"You're right." Keith beamed. "I am totally stoked to meet actual rangers and do some actual ranger stuff!"

"I wonder what we'll get to do…" Kate said, looking up at the clouds.

Keith looked over at her, relaxed to see her in a positive, upbeat mood. Judging the way she nodded off in class (up until the internship announcement), she must've had another nightmare. But he had decided not to pry.

Before heading out the gate, Ms. April ran up to them both.

"Hey! I just wanted to make sure you knew where Vientown is." She said.

"Of course! To the west, a very short walk away." Kate answered confidently.

"Good job!" Ms. April applauded. "Kate, please be careful. I know you'll want to jump right into danger but…"

"Ms. April, I'll be fine." Kate laughed.

"EEEEEEEEEEEK!"

Everyone turned to see a stick-like man clinging to a tree. Some bidoof were running around, obviously just playing.

"What the…?" She started to ask.

"That's Little Tim. He's from Vientown and owns a milk farm with his wife, Big Bertha." Keith explained. "He brings milk to the school. But ah…he's, well, afraid of pokemon."

"Oh ok. Got it." Kate nodded, understanding.

The man started to scream even louder as the bidoof wouldn't ease up. Kate said something about handling it and proceeded to go capture the pokemon. All with ease.

"Keith."

Keith turned to Ms. April.

"Do me a favor…and just watch over her for me." Ms. April sighed.

"Uh…" Keith wasn't quite sure how to respond.

Ever since that accident, Ms. April made sure to keep an eye on Kate. Keith thought it was because she was guilty for having one of her students in a dangerous position. Ms. April did care about her students after all.

"You might not understand this now…" Ms. April hesitated. "But protecting someone isn't just keeping them from danger."

Keith blinked.

"…ok…?" He shrugged, unsure of what else to say and extremely confused.

Kate ran back over as Tim headed up the stairs. Ms. April said goodbye and sent the two off towards the bridge to Vientown. As they crossed, Keith couldn't help thinking about what Ms. April told him. What the heck did THAT mean?

"But protecting someone isn't just keeping them from danger."

There was a little bit on chaos as a little girl was found on the bridge but Keith had been distracted still. So if there's more to 'protection', then what was it? What else could there be? Was there some sort of meaning he was supposed to get? And even more baffling…why did Ms. April say THAT to him?

Issac had some and picked up the girl (oh it was his _sister_…) then went off with Ponte. Kate had been happily chatting about how sweet the little girl was, comparing her to Megan, and then excited over Vientown again.

Was what Ms. April said supposed to relate to the favor? To watch over Kate? …no….Keith sensed it was entirely different. Ms. April had been implying something…

"Hey I think we're here!"

Keith snapped to attention. Sure enough, they were. It was a quaint little country town. Very easy-going setting. Out in the field was a farmland with some miltank (probably the milk farm). And the ranger base was not hard to spot in the slightest.

"Let's go!" Keith raced to the base with Kate in close pursuit.

"Hey!" Kate scolded, teasingly. "You cheated!"

"Ha! As if!" Keith smirked.

They opened the doors and walked into the base. Both gasped, thrilled that they were in an actual ranger base. It was even better than they hoped it would be. Though…it was odd how empty it was…

"Where IS everyone?" Kate looked around.

"HEY! WE'RE HERE FOR THE INTERNSHIP!" Keith yelled.

Bam!

"Ow! Don't scare me like that!" Someone cried.

A purple haired girl rose from under the main desk, rubbing her head. No doubt had hit it from the scare Keith gave her. Kate and Keith went right over.

"Sorry about that." Kate innocently smiled and bonked her friend right on the head. "We didn't know anyone was here."

Keith glared at her for a split second.

"I was reaching down for a pen." The operator told her. "And the entire base went out on a highly top secret mission."

"One heck of a crisis if everyone's gone!" Keith exclaimed.

"Oh yeah. I mean these pokemon, they…..I…I can't even say it…" The operator sniffled. "But Leader Barlow left you a package and some instructions."

The operator handed the box over along with the note. Keith snatched it up and read it for himself and Kate.

"_Welcome to Vientown, rookies! Now how about a mission right off the bat? I left an extremely important parcel with our operator. Take it with you to Breeze Hill. The area's not hard to find. Go west of Vientown and across the beach. Best of luck! -Vientown leader, Barlow"_

"Alright you two. Off you go!" Operator cheerfully said. "By the way, it's incredibly important than you NEVER tip this box over. No turning it upside down, don't flip it on its side and be extra careful!"

"Got it!" The two said in a union.

"Shall I do the honors?" Keith pompously asked, reaching for the box.

Kate reached over before he did and quickly grabbed hold of it. She laughed as Keith started fuming.

"KATE!" Keith tried to reach back for it but missed as Kate ducked aside.

He continued to chase her as they raced out the door and back into Vientown.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

The walk didn't take too long. As Barlow mentioned in the letter, west of Vientown was a beach. And what a nice beach it was! Golden sands, dazzling ocean waves and impressive cliffs!

"What a beautiful place…" Kate gasped, feeling the wind through her hair.

Looking around, the two students found they weren't alone. There was a happy couple that seemed just happy being together. An old man was feeding a mass of pokemon. Kate ran over to the pokemon to get a better look. There was a pachirisu, munchlax and starly gathered over berries.

"Aren't you ranger students?" The old man asked.

"Yep! We're on our way to Breeze Hill." Keith told him as Kate stroked the fur of a pachirisu.

"I assume you're on your internship. Good luck to you both." The old man said.

"Thanks!" Both responded.

Kate got up and started to follow Keith towards the hillside. Keith cast an devilish grain at her as they walked. Kate tried to ignore it. For 3 seconds.

"What?" She questioned.

"AHA!" Keith swiped the basket from the unsuspecting Kate. "Got it!"

"Hey give it back!" Kate objected.

Keith instead stuck out his tongue and broke into a run. Kate ran right after, determined to get the basket back. After a bit of time, they noticed the ground starting to get steeper. They made it! Breeze Hill! Kate was excited to finally be there and see what things lay in store when they reached the top.

At the peak, they found several people gathered around a checkered blanket. The uniforms, of course, made it easy to tell that they were rangers. There was Crawford and his Budew, easy to notice. A darkhaired girl was cuddling a buneary. A strong, dark-skinned man with his makuhita was talking to a girl with pinkish hair, who didn't seem to wear a ranger uniform or have a pokemon. Though that girl did have an eccentric outfit and goggles, parts with some oil spots.

"So…do we just introduce ourselves?" Kate asked, maybe just a tiny bit nervous.

"Yeah I think so…" Keith replied apprehensively.

At that point, the darkhaired girl turned in Kate and Keith's direction and gave a big smile.

"There they are! Oh they look so cute!" She squealed, her black eyes shining with joy

Everyone else turned to face them.

"I know you two! From Outdoor class!" Crawford said.

"Hey Crawford!" Keith said as Buddy, the budew, welcomed them.

Keith and Kate walked up to the group and set the package down on the blanket.

"Introducing everyone, the girl with the dark hair is Luanna with her buneary, Fluff." Crawford explained. "Then there's Barlow, the Leader, and his makuhita's Punch. Finally the oddly dressed girl is our mechanic, Elaine."

"I do NOT dress weird!" Elaine fired back as Crawford snickered.

"It's an important paracel…I expect it in one piece?" Barlow challenged.

Gulp. Chasing each other around in competition to carry it, they kinda forgot to hold it still. Kate was mentally praying for whatever inside to be alright.

"Yeah. Of course." Keith told him, seeming confident (though Kate wondered if he knew as well).

"Alright then…" Barlow opened the cover. "Lunchtime!"

Inside the 'important box' was sandwiches, soda cans and all sorts of fruits & pokemon berries. It looked very delicious but Keith and Kate were too stunned to speak as the rangers started grabbing for lunch. Crawford noticed the confused faces and burst into laughter.

"Oh those looks you're wearing is priceless!" He said.

"So all this was just lunch?" Kate blinked.

"Yep! Gotta hand it to you Crawford, you know how to think up the best pranks!" Barlow turned to the duo. "We thought it'd be fun to do this to every student who had an internship. A little something to remember us by."

"And you guys did better than I did last year!" Luanna complimented.

"Yeah she messed up the box so much our lunches were ruined!" Elaine chuckled.

At that moment, Keith had already dived into the lunch for a sandwich or two. Kate shot him a quizzed look.

"…what?" Keith stared right back. "I forgot to eat breakfast."

"Maybe but you still…wait you didn't eat breakfast?" Kate asked.

"Well if fu idn't crawsh into me down fa stairs…" Keith replied with his mouth full.

Oh yeah…THAT. A little transformation that was an extremely close call. Kate shook it off and reached in for one of the sandwiches as everyone chatted.

"Hey so how did your 'initiation' go?" Luana questioned.

Initiation….oh yeah!

"I never got to finish. Got busted by Kincaid right as I was about to put my stylers in front of the basement door." Kate replied.

"Ugh…I hated that teacher." Elaine rolled her eyes. "Can't believe I had him…"

"Yeah that guy was a real jerk. Always busting me for something I almost never did." Luana agreed.

"Almost?" Elaine rose an eyebrow.

"Welllll….running in the halls and replacing his silly string with hairspray, that was me." Luana confessed.

Kate broke into laughter. She and Keith had done spray paint, pokespray (which the bidoof went nuts over) and rotten milk. But not silly-string. She'd have to remind him later, seeing he were hanging with the guys of the group.

"Come on…you've got to have some pranks that you did. I bet you and Red probably did something." Elaine nudged.

"Yeah we…Red?" Kate blinked.

"Apparently that's Crawford's new nickname for your friend." Elaine looked over at the guys.

At the moment Crawford seemed to be poking fun at Keith, who had a little pink to his face. Barlow kept chuckling and adding to the jokes.

"And no doubt he'll find something for you." Luana ruffled Kate's hair. "But let's hear the pranks!"

Kate was mulling over which one to tell (hairspray or extra-wax floors). At least until a scream came from the beach. Everyone turned their attention to a guy, the one from the happy couple, come racing to them in a panic.

"Help! My girlfriend! She's…she's being held up by pokemon!" He told them in a hurry.

"Lunchtime's gonna have to wait!" Barlow was already up on his feet. "Everyone! To the beach!"

Everyone charged down the hillside and to the ledge that overlooked the beach. There they saw the guy's girlfriend being surrounded by two shellos as well as the pokemon Kate and Keith met earlier.

"H…help!" The girl squeaked, shivering in fear.

"These pokemon aren't usually this upset…" The old man said, who was watching the scene. "They're quite nice…please don't hurt them…"

"We won't." Barlow reassured. "Alright crew! Everyone takes a pokemon! Now let's go…"

"I CALL STARLY!" Keith ran down and was already off.

"Then I get pachirisu!" Kate called out, following his lead.

"…capture…" Barlow finished, a bit surprised at the two's actions.

Kate whirled out her student styler and began to capture the pachirisu. No problem at all really. She took a liking to her (Kate recognized stripe patterns from a book) since Kate pet the sweet pokemon earlier. In no time, the pachirisu was captured. Elaine clapped and cheered Kate from the sidelines.

"Alright! How'd we do guys?" Barlow asked the two other rangers, just finishing his capture on the munchlax.

"A-ok!" Crawford gave the thumbs up; he and Luana handled the shellos.

"And our new kids?" Luana asked.

"We new kids are doin fine!" Keith called back, patting the starly on its head.

"And no injuries to the people or pokemon!" Elaine added.

"Alright then! Now that the pokemon have calmed down, time to release them!" Barlow instructed.

He and the other rangers went first. Keith let the starly fly off. Kate tried to release her pachirisu…but…..why didn't she leave? Instead the cute little pokemon snuggled her leg.

"I said release the pokemon." Barlow told her.

"I'm trying to! But…" Kate had been really trying.

And yet…this pachirisu was adorable. What a sweetheart. Kate stopped trying to release it, finding herself a_ little_ attached.

"Awwww! It likes you!" Luana squee'd.

"And I think the feeling's mutual." Crawford teased.

Barlow and Crawford talked to the couple and old man on the beach, asking for an explanation on what went on. In the meantime, Kate was too busy to even pay attention to the details. The pachirisu climbed on her shoulders and rested quite comfortably. She and Keith were stroking its fur.

"Not that bad a pokemon." He said.

"Hey Red! Sparky!"

Sparky? Keith and Kate faced Barlow and Crawford, whom was beaming.

"Sparky?" Kate questioned.

"Yeah! You've captured an electric pokemon! Not to mention your hair's a little wild." Crawford told her.

"Says the guy with an afro!" Keith chuckled.

"Red and Sparky, you two did great work capturing those pokemon! We would call this sort of thing…Mission Clear!" Barlow said.

Kate and Keith, more excited than ever before, celebrated with their ranger poses.

"Hey they've got their ranger poses!" Luana gasped happily.

"Looked pretty good too." Elaine commented.

"Alright people! Let's move back to base!" Barlow started to run towards Vientown.

"Hey what about the picnic?" Kate questioned.

Barlow nearly tripped into the sand on that remark. He faced the group again.

"Oh yeah. We'll have to clean that up!" Barlow sheepishily said.

"How about we clean up while the students go back to the base, boss?" Crawford suggested. "Kinda to make up for the prank."

"You heard the afro. Both of you meet us back at base! We'll be there soon!" Barlow instructed. "Come on people! We're losing daylight!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Everyone had met up back at base within almost no time at all. The sandwiches were, as to say, 'cleared'. Kate had spent more time with the pachirisu, feeding some berries the operator offered. Keith watched Kate the entire time, though trying to resist looking happy about it. Crawford had given him enough heckling on Breeze Hill.

"With nothing else on the agenda, the time has come to say farewell to our little rookies." Barlow said.

"Aw come on. There's no goodbyes leader!" Crawford told him. "We'll be seeing Red and Sparky again! And they could be assigned to our base!"

"That would be so cool!" Luana jumped up and down.

"Yeah it would be!" Keith said, hoping he and Kate really would get Vientown as their base assignment.

He and Kate were just about to walk through the front door and leave.

"WAIT!"

Everyone turned to face Barlow.

"There's still the matter of that pachirisu." he pointed to Kate's shoulders, where the pachirisu cuddled comfortably (only looking up slightly at being mentioned).

"That's right. No partner pokemon till after school." Elaine reminded.

"Better let it go, Sparky." Crawford told her.

Kate sighed and nudged the pokemon, trying to coax her off her shoulder. But the pachirisu wasn't ready to go. It clung a little tighter. Obviously removing her wasn't going to be an easy task.

"I know you two are attached but you have to let go." Barlow told her, confused as to why it hadn't been done.

"I'm trying!" Kate really was trying; this time with pulling.

Geez this one was more than just emotionally attached. This pachirisu was clinging to her shoulders and neck as if for dear life. It didn't want to leave at all! Good thing she didn't have claws. Stubborn little thing…

"Here, let me help." Keith offered, grabbing hold of it.

The two students were trying to force the pachirisu off but even with their combined efforts, it still wasn't budging. It was about this point the pachirisu made it clear it wasn't going anywhere. And she conveyed that message via electric discharge.

"Stop it stop it STOP IT!" Keith yelled through the shock. "Why won't it come off?"

"Keith, let go before we're burnt up!" Kate shouted at him.

Keith did just that and electric attack ceased. Black ash covered their faces and arms. Their hair seemed to stick out even more. The pachirisu settled back down into Kate's shoulder. Both students leaned against the walls for support, exhausted from the efforts.

"This might be a problem…" Luana's voice trailed off, lost in thought.

"We're going to need some surgery to remove those two!" Crawford joked.

"Talk about inseparable." The operator said.

"Hold on!" Elaine raced to the mechanics station near the back.

She dug through some metal parts for a minute. Pulling out some sort of magnet, Elaine raced back to Kate.

"I made this magnet sometime back so we could power-up strong electric pokemon. It works similar to that box Electivire use. Sadly, it failed and could only physically attract smaller electric pokemon." Elaine explained. "I've meant to destroy it for spare parts but I'm glad I haven't yet."

"Good work Elaine!" The operator commented.

"Ready, Sparky?" Elaine asked.

Kate nodded. Elaine flipped a switch. A faint hum came from the magnet. Pachirisu immediately knew something was off and stared at the magnet. The humming grew a touch louder when the pachirisu's back & feet started hovering in mid air. The pokemon was holding onto Kate's shoulders but ended up slipping. She flew off and landed straight on the magnetic, very much annoyed.

"Woo! Works like a charm!" Elaine joyfully cheered.

"You two better run out before Elaine turns the magnet off. We'll return the pachirisu to the beach." Barlow told Kate and Keith.

The pachirisu was squirming around frantically, desperately trying to get away and run back to Kate. Kate seemed to have trouble trying to resist reaching out for it.

"Thanks guys! Hope to see you soon!" Keith called out.

"See you later Sparky!"

"Good luck Red!"

Kate and Keith dashed out the door and didn't stop running till they were out of Vientown, at the bridge to the school. They stopped to catch their breath. After a moment, they looked up at each other abdomen burst into laughter. With their hair electrified and black ash streaked on their skin, they did look a little ridiculous.

"Aw man this is priceless!" Keith was doubled over.

"I thought your hair couldn't get any messier!" Kate chuckled, trying to calm down.

Hey…her laugh wasn't that bad. Kind of adorable actually. And even though she was in a mess, Kate still looked phenomenal.

"Yoohoo! Rangers!"

Rhythmi ran up to them on the bridge. She seemed a little tired (no doubt from the long trek) but still perky and ready for action.

"Oh my gosh you guys look….pfft…" She was trying to suppress laughing but ended up failing.

"We had a secret mission. And in the end, we got a little fried…" Kate awkwardly said.

"That would explain the barbeque smell coming from you two." Rhythmi wiped the tears (from laughing) out of her eyes as they started to walk back to the school.

"We'll have to take a shower when we get home." Keith sighed.

"Maybe…together?" Rhythmi whispered to him, snickering.

Keith's face went red, as though it were painted. But his quick embarrassment turned to rage as he started to chase Rhythmi down the bridge.

"DAMN IT RHYTHMI! GET BACK HERE!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

'**Shocking' story, isn't it? **

**Hope you guys liked it and I certainly don't mind reviews! The next chapter will be coming up very soon so stay in your seats and await….**

***forgot what I was going to say***

…**.I need some chocolate….**

**Authors note: OOPS...sorry for all of the uh...spelling errors (I am just not in the grammar zone today...)**


	9. Tangrowth Tango

**Dah dah dah dah DAHHHHH! Presenting the next chapter! **

**Hopefully this one doesn't have too many errors like my previous chapters. Though I am surprised to fit this one in. And I wish for you readers to enjoy it! I am SOOOO happy that more people are noticing this story and for that, I thank you very much. You guys are so sweet with the reviews!**

**There is a symbol in the story! (*) is the sign where a song is being played! To fully enjoy the story, try popping up youtube and playing said song/music as you read. Song ends when it ends or, in the case of looping or extended, when you get to the point where the text says it ends. **

**The song in this chapter would be the grass whistle of the village bridge in pokemon black/white. And since I'm using a song here, I'll add this. **

**DISCLAIMER: I does not own this song nor pokemon.**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_Kate! Guess what?_

_We're almost done moving to Chicole Village! By the time you graduate, we'll be all done! The house is so pretty and the farm daddy's going to have is big! It's so easy to get lost but its all super great! And I can't wait to see you again! _

_Megan_

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"So you've decided to hide rather than tour the school one more time?"

Keith saw Kate whirl around, obviously surprised that he found her. In all the chaos of preparing for the graduation and everyone saying goodbye, he noticed she had slipped away. Of course finding her wasn't a problem at all.

"You knew where to find me?" Kate asked.

"Hey, its our spot." Keith sat next to her. "Where else would ya be?"

The weather was, for the first time in a while, warm. Perfect for graduation day. And yet...Keith would bear a blizzard if the day could be postponed. Just for a little longer. It wasn't that he didn't want to be a ranger! No no no! But…it was…..

"I thought you'd go see everyone again. You know, before graduation." Keith assumed.

"I don't like goodbyes." Kate muttered, looking down at the grass.

"Hey, it's not a goodbye." Keith took one hand, directing her chin to look at him. "More like a 'see you later'. There's a pretty darn good chance we'll be meeting again."

Kate smiled a little. All of a sudden, she hugged Keith and rested her head on his shoulders. It took every ounce of willpower for Keith, despite the heat rising on up, not to transform right then and there. At least for a few seconds. But…seeing Kate relax in his arms, Keith completed the hug and held her close. She felt so soft….almost…magical….

"Thanks Keith." She whispered.

"No prob." Keith softly replied.

The hug ended, though Keith didn't even want to let go. He wanted to stay that way for a long, long time. Well…Kate seemed to be alright again, as per smile, as Keith rubbed her hair playfully.

"Hey…you remember that song you were writing at the beginning of the year?" Keith asked, suddenly remembering her music hobby.

"Uh yeah…" Kate shy'd back a little.

Keith still didn't understand completely why she was so embarrassed about it. He always thought it was a cool talent of hers. Which was why there was one thing that had been on his mind for quite some time.

"Finished?" Keith questioned.

"A few details left to the music aspect. And then I'll need to add some lines to the lyrics. Not quite done yet." Kate replied.

If there was ever a time to ask for it, now was that time.

"Kate? Um…do you think you can play a song?" Keith requested.

Kate stared back in shock. He knew she didn't expect him (or probably anyone) to ask her for that at all. Keith wanted to hear her play music…but hoped she wouldn't reject the idea. Kate looked away for a slight moment, mulling it over. Right about then, she reached down into the grass and plucked a single, tall blade. And Kate began to play.

**(*)**

…the music….oh man it was beautiful…it flowed evenly like the water but as free as air….the notes were just right alongside the timing. Kate truly had a gift. Even with just a piece of grass, he listened to a melody unlike anything else. Those few minutes that he listened to the harmonious song were some of the best minutes of his life.

Keith had closed his eyes for a bit, trying to take in the music alone. But opening his eyes, he saw it fit perfectly with the scene. Some bidoof were napping, seeming more relaxed than beforehand. Ocean waves and sea breezes blew steadily, almost corresponding with the song itself. And Kate…her eyes were closed gently and seemed more at peace than Keith had ever seen. It felt like he was seeing a side of her never been seen before. Was it even possible for Kate to seem so…so…gorgeous? So spirited?

After some time, the song was over. She set the grass blade aside, opened her eyes and turned to face Keith.

"Kate…that was amazing…" Keith softly told her, still feeling extremely calm from the song.

Kate's smile grew big, seeming to match her pink cheeks.

"Thanks…" Kate said, a bit embarrassed still. "I er ….I haven't actually played in front of anyone else in a long time. I guess…it's because I trust you, Keith."

Wow…if she played in front of him (HIM, out of everyone else she ever knew), then that must've meant she really trusted him. What an honor!

_Ding! Ding!_

The bell. The last and final bell. Which only meant one thing.

Graduation time.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"…and so which brings me to ANOTHER fine point…"

Students and most of the faculty rang out in groans as Issac continued on with his speech. After Principal Lamont had given a short speech to the ranger students who gathered in the hallway, Kincaid let Issac take the stage as Valedictorian to say something to the class. Of course no one guessed that the intelligent student had….wellll…. 'overprepared' his speech…

"How long have we been standing here?" Keith hissed, a bit irritated and impatient.

"Two hours." Kate mumbled back, the feeling mutual.

"I can't feel my legs…" Rhythmi whined quietly. "We've been standing for so long!"

"Did you even understand half of what he said up there?" Kate asked, keeping her voice low.

"Half?" Rhythmi and Keith blinked.

"In conclusion…" Issac started to say.

A unison of relieved sighs followed shortly after, everyone (minus Kincaid) sweatdropped.

"We will never forget the adventures and friends we have made here. Each moment spent in the nurturing halls of this fine establishment will have helped guide us forward. Thank you." Issac finished.

Applause followed but most of it had been the fact the "never-ending speech" was over. Kincaid's claps had been the loudest of them all. As Issac sat down, Ms. April began to speak up.

"Yes…er…well done Issac!" Ms. April said. "Now I'm calling up the class representative for the certificate part of the ceremony! That person would be….Kate! Please step on up!"

"You're the representative!" Keith was excited. "That's awesome! Way to go!"

Kate was shocked about being representative. Even more that Keith was happy for her and not questioning why he didn't get the spot. But either way, Kate got up onto the stage and faced the class. Honor and pride filled her, adding to the smile she wore on her face.

_KABLAM!_

A rumble shook the school for a split second. Kate, almost losing her balance, leaned against the railing. Everyone started to talk at once. From what she (and others) heard, that blast seemed to come from the basement. But no sooner had everyone concluded that and Mr. Kincaid offering to go check, two tangrowth burst from the basement entrance.

"KATE!"

A tangrowth was about to swing Kate like a baseball when she was knocked to the ground. Keith had landed right on top of her, which saved Kate from being pounded. As the students ran towards the front of the school, Keith got Kate up and pulled her out of harm's way. The tangrowth angrily smashed about the central part of the halls. Kate could sense they were threatening about something…but what? Or were they being threatened themselves?

"We gotta capture those tangrowth!" Kate called to Keith over the destruction.

"Right!" Keith nodded.

The two charged forth, ready for the action. Neither had any experience capturing a nearly 7 foot tall pokemon. Nor one that had been that insane. So it was pretty challenging to get the tangrowth situation under control. Both were severely struggling to get a grip on the pokemon and barely managed to overcome it. But at long last, the tangrowth started to relax right after capture and went back to its usual friendly nature.

"You guys were AWESOME!" Rhythmi cheered, hugging both her friends after the chaos had ended.

And it was something, both Keith and Kate agreed, was worth doing a ranger pose over.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

The ceremony ended without any more trouble. The tangrowth went back to the wild, happy and clueless as though they never went into rampage mode. Mr. Kincaid seemed a bit guilty about the entire event but nobody questioned it or noticed much. Kate accepted her honor as class representative and the entire class broke out into cheers.

And so they graduated. Done with being just mere students. Now they would embark on the journey to become rangers, operators and mechanics. Everyone following their dreams and going after big adventures that awaited them in the very near future.

Keith and Rhythmi had both been assigned to Fiorre (different towns) while Kate was to go to Vientown. It was sad being split up. But there was nothing to be done about it. And they all knew they'd meet again in the future. Though the time for saying goodbye wasn't quite there yet…

"Rhyth? Keith? Sorry you two but the boat for Fiorre will be running late. There's been a few issues and….long story short, it won't be here till eight." Ms. April explained. "Kate? Since your family lives nearby, could you let them stay with you for a few hours? I don't want these guys to wait at the school pier for so long and it'll give you time to say goodbye."

Of course, Kate accepted. And her family (contacted through phone) was perfectly happy to accommodate. Rhythmi was thrilled to meet Kate's parents, especially since her own had been too far away to come over. Keith, though, was more curious than anything. What would Kate's family be like? And what did she mention about him to them?

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**School's ended!...awww…school's ended…first time I've ever said THAT.**

**Well we've got one more scene of them together. But even after the three go their ways, I still promise you viewers that Keith and Rhythmi will still stay in the spotlight. Those three will still be inseparable even after school and being far apart. Be patient; wait for chapter updates, you shall see! **

**Next chapter? Zooming in to a computer/labtop/screen/fishtank near you! Brought to you by…. REVIEWS LIKE YOU! …well….uh…ok I dunno about ****that****...probably been watching too much public kid shows with cousins too long.. But reviews are always welcome!**


	10. Family Matters

**Here we are peoples! The chapter where Keith and Rhythmi last appear!...for now. And don't you worry, I've got something planned on those two keeping contact with Kate. ;)**

**Authors note: I did say Megan was 8 but I'm changing the age to about 6-7. **

**Because of them finally graduated from school, I decided to celebrate their success with some personality profiles. **

**Kate: (****age 15-16) Dreams of being a ranger. Born & raised in Vientown, Fiorre. Her family will be mentioned in the story below. Kate is a very confident, humorous girl who seeks adventure and a little competition. She's a tiny bit stubborn, does occasional pranks and tends to bottle up things. Her caring side for pokemon is, well, caring, sweet, loyal and friendly. Kate is dense in some ways, not knowing much about Keith's real cause for transforming ****(see next profile). ****Best friends with Keith and Rhythmi. There was an accident that happened to her six years ago (age 8-9) but details are still to be confirmed…**

**Keith:**** (15-16) Dreams of being a ranger. Born in Lavaridge, raised in Fortree, Hoenn. His family life will be talked about at a later date. Keith is brash, headstrong, competitive, arrogant, love to prank and impatient at times. But he's also shown to be funny, supportive and outgoing. Six years prior to the story (age 8-9), he met up with a witch who tried to kidnap him. Escaped barely but was cursed. Poofs into a Pikachu in hot temperatures ****(irony of liking warm places), ****occasional hugs, fevers or embarrassment. Has to cool down to change back. Only Kate knows of the curse, due to accident, but hasn't known of embarrassment issue. Speaking of which, Keith seems to be developing some new emotions and internal conflictions concerning Kate. His transformation occurrences went up since meeting her….**

**Rhythmi:**** (15-16) Dreams of being an operator. Born & raised in Celadon City, Kanto. Family life to be discussed later. Rhythmi's social with just about everyone, nice, perky and smart. She loves to tease; most of it directed at Keith, saying he **_**likes**_** Kate ****(then followed by Keith trying to get back at Rhythmi for the remark****). But overall, she's the kind of friend whose there for you in good and bad times.**

**There. D-o-n-e! Done! Enjoy the story guys! …and girls.**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"SISSY'S HOME!"

That was the first thing Kate, Rhythmi and Keith heard as they took their first step into Chicole Village. A little girl with long, very light brown hair ran up and hugged Kate tightly. Despite looking at a picture beforehand, Keith felt seeing her in person definitely confirmed the two girls were related.

"Oh your sister is so cute!" Rhythmi cried out.

"Yep! Guys, this is Megan. And Megan, this is Rhythmi and Keith." Kate introduced.

Megan. Megan _Evergreen_. The little sister to Kate _Leon_. Keith couldn't get that one detail out of his mind. He was tempted to ask Kate why their last names were different. But it wasn't like he could just come out and ask. For all he knew, the subject could've been sensitive.

"Gotta hand it to mom and dad." Kate was saying. "They really know how to pick out the good towns."

The town was very small and open spaced. Houses had a cozy appeal, relaxing & carefree. At the farthest part of the south was Kate's. And not that bad a house either. Didn't seem to old but it certainly wasn't new. Already looked like it had been lived in for years.

"This is our new house!" Megan pointed to the house and then more south, where an arch stood between the trees. "Over there is daddy's new farm! I got to call it 'Partner Farm' cause mommy and daddy are like partners!"

The front door of the house opened, with voices wondering what all the shouting was about. Same people from the picture; Kate and Megan's parents. The mom had medium brown hair with color between Megan and Kate's brown. Her eyes were a blueish green, similar to Megan's. As for the dad, he was hard to see any resemblance to Kate. Dark brown hair, green eyes….it was possible that Kate inherited the personality from her dad….but…..

"Oh Kate good to see you!" Mom hugged Kate tightly.

"And this would be Keith and Rhythmi? I've seen you two through the picture Kate sent us." Dad said. "You guys can call me Carter and my wife, Tessa."

"Good to meet you." Keith nodded.

"Your parents are so nice!" Rhythmi complimented.

Everyone went inside (though Megan wanted to stay out and play). Dinner had been prepared and served. Due to the dining table + chairs getting broken through delivery, everyone decided to eat around the coffee table on the couch and chairs. Everyone had been laughing and smiling. Keith could feel that Kate had always been joking around with her family. She grew up in a relaxing home and atmosphere. Not to mention with good vegetable soup. Once everyone was done, Kate, Megan and their mom went off to do dishes.

"So Keith…perhaps you're Kate's boyfriend?" Carter squinted suspiciously.

"I AM NOT!" Keith objected, his face a bit on the pink side.

"Oh Keith is such a kidder." Rhythmi nudged Keith's arm.

"Rhythmi…." He was grinding his teeth, resisting the urge to strange.

"Relax! I was just kidding!" Carter laughed. "But I am glad to see Kate having some friends."

"Didn't she have any in Fiorre?" Rhythmi asked.

"Not unless you count the pokemon." Carter shrugged. "Kate was known as the 'wild flower' of Ringtown. Very pretty but impossible to tame. Her energetic nature didn't sit well with many people so she was off playing in the forest with the pokemon."

No friends at all? Did…..that mean he and Rhythmi were the first?

"In some ways the rangers had been her only human friends. She's known about them since…pretty much her entire life. Sometimes as a kid, she'd tag alongside them and watch the adventures unfurl. There were moments where Kate helped them with soothing raging or healing injured pokemon." Carter went on. "And I suspect the influence they implanted on her sparked that ranger dream early on."

"That's so sweet!" Rhythmi sniffled.

"It's great how you support her in this." Keith said.

"Tessa and I know the risks. But we feel that for Kate, it's worth it. She'll do just fine." Carter told him. "Besides, she has a lot of support from her new friends now."

BAM!

Everyone turned to notice Kate had tripped trying to go up the stairs. She dropped her bag, the one with her stuff from ranger school. Kate had been muttering a swear word though Tessa didn't seem to catch it.

"Sorry guys!" Kate apologized sheepishly, getting back up.

"I told her to put the bag upstairs so no one would trip over it." Tessa explained.

"Here. Lemme help." Keith sighed, walking over and carrying the bag.

They walked upstairs down the hallway into Kate's room. Since it wouldn't be used much (if at all), it was laid out very simple-like. A few boxes here and there. Bed, dresser, closet and rug. All the basics. Keith set the bag down on the floor beside her bed but noticed something fall out of one of the pockets.

Picking it up, he saw it was a photograph. A woman who looked like an older, model-like version of Kate, smiling though she seemed tired. Her hair flowed down her shoulders like a cascade, the color exactly like Kate's. Even the eyes were perfectly identical. In her arms were three small babies, blissfully asleep. They seemed like tiny angels….and almost….the exact same. Like clones of some sort.

"Hey Kate? Who is this?" Keith asked, showing the picture.

Kate's cheerful smile turned to one with sadness. She stared at the picture for a little bit, as if hesitating whether to tell him something or not.

"That's…my mother." Kate finally told him.

"…your MOTHER?" Keith was taken aback. "B…but I saw her! Downstairs!"

"That's not my real mom. That's my mothers sister, aka my aunt." Kate said.

So that meant her 'dad' was her uncle, not blood related no doubt. And her sister was really her cousin. That would explain the different last names. And some of resemblance between the girls.

"My real mother a few days after I was born. She was too weak after delivering triplets." Kate went on.

"So…then those are your sisters. Or uh…brothers." Keith stumbled, still in shock over the new information.

"Brother and sister, yeah. The one in the center is my brother, Indigo. Left is my identical sister, Josie." Kate showed him. "But…..neither are around anymore…."

"Wha…" Keith was about to ask.

"Josie died at two weeks old. Born too weak. I almost followed her to the grave for the same reason but…something stopped me from leaving. Call it silly but…I always thought that maybe Josie had something to do with it." Kate explained.

A long pause. Tension filled the air. Why did it feel so darn stuffy in the room?

"And Indigo?" Keith quietly asked.

"There was an accident six years ago. We both were hospitalized but….he never made it." Kate mumbled.

Keith looked over the picture again. Kate's mom seemed happy, full of love over her newborn babies. If Kate was exactly like her mom, then Keith would've loved to meet her. And to think…maybe Kate would look like her mom when she grew up. Maybe more elegant. Kate was already good-looking. How much more beautiful could she get?

Those thoughts were clouding Keith's head again and yet…Keith didn't feel the urge to push them away. Instead, he let those thoughts come by. Something about them….and about her…..

An accident...Kate mentioned an accident before...wait...yes! At the Ascension Square! Kate said that after the accident, she stopped singing. The accident that took Indigo must've taken her singing as well. Probably from trauma.

"Hey wait. Didn't you have a dad? He could've raised you and your siblings." Keith asked, suddenly wondering where the heck he was.

"Died during mom's pregnancy. Huge car crash." Kate's voice was starting to tremble.

Her eyes were a bit watered up. This had been an incredibly hard subject to tread on and yet Keith managed to dive right in. Now the poor girl was remembering the pain of losing her brother and of never getting to know her birth parents or sister. Keith grabbed Kate's arm and pulled her in close. Kate didn't fight it, instead resting her head on him and letting a tear or two go. This hug felt different than the last...more serene and close. There was something else in the midst of him holding Kate but he couldn't identify what it was. It seemed that for the longest of times, maybe an eternity, everything was perfectly silent.

_POOF!_

And thus the moment had ended.

"You've got to be kidding me." Keith growled.

He was still in Kate's arms…just as a Pikachu in a shirt. Why on earth did he transform? He wasn't embarrassed at all! Kate looked at him in a blank surprise for a moment. But she smiled, set him down on the bed and wiped the tears away.

"Room must've got a little stuffy. That and the body heat might have triggered a transformation." Kate guessed.

That was probably it. Stupid curse….always being inconvenient.

"You head to the bathroom. I'll get your clothes and give them to you there." Kate suggested.

Keith nodded and leapt off the bed. He walked out of the room and down the hallway. Almost there! And nobody would….wait….footsteps…someone was coming! But ack! He was in Pikachu form! How could he…?

"Sissy! Are you done?"

That was Megan. An idea popped into Keith's head. Risky, yes, but it might work. Keith dropped onto the floor and remained completely still. Just as he did, Megan came up the stairs. She was about to head to Kate's room when she found Keith on the floor. Keith was mentally praying this would work, that she'd never catch on.

"Pika! What're you doing in the hallway? I left you with Mister Fluffy." Megan picked him up. "I better go put you back."

Yes! It worked! Megan carried him down the hallway, over to her room. Upon seeing the room, it blinded him in an overflowing power of bright pink, rainbows, dozens of pokeplushies and cute stuff with ribbons. In short, every guys nightmare. Keith was having a hard time resisting not to puke.

"There you go." Megan set him on the bed, next to a stuffed Wigglytuff. "Now you stay th…hm?...COMING MOMMY!"

Megan skipped out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Right away, Keith bounced off and dashed towards the door. He poked the door open slightly, seeing Kate was in the hallway looking a bit confused.

"Keith?" She whispered. "Where are you?"

"Your sisters room." He whispered back, running by her side. "I think your sister needs something in her room that's…oh I don't know…NOT PINK!

"Keep it down!" Kate opened the bathroom door. "I'll be downstairs. Better hurry up before people start asking questions."

Keith got inside, seeing his clothes folded on the floor. Kate closed the door and started to walk back downstairs. Luckily, Keith didn't take long to change back. And he was experienced at dressing quickly. He was able to come back down, acting as if nothing happened at all.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Rest of the visit went smoothly and as to be expected. Close to the time the boat was to come, Kate went back to the school with Keith and Rhythmi to send them off. Her two friends proudly climbed onto the boat with some of the others assigned to Fiorre. As happy as Kate was for them….she also felt bad.

Her two best friends. Heck….perhaps her first _real_ friends….were going away. Sure Kate knew this wouldn't be the last time she'd ever see them. It was a for sure thing that they'd find each other again. But who knows when? And she'd gotten close to them. With Rhythmi and Keith, Kate felt she could open up and be even more herself. Something that she had only done with the pokemon in the forest back in Ringtown. Even more, those two helped her move forward. Rhythmi was a great coach and friend to talk to while Keith used competition and pranks.

The boat started to drift off into the ocean. Students, teachers and Kate herself waved to the students on the boat. Keith and Rhythmi would do alright. Their dreams were strong and bold, held together by their friendships, memories and the pledge they made. Kate knew they'd do just fine. And so would she.

"HEY KATE!" Keith was calling to her. "I'll be twice as good a ranger as you are when I see you again!"

"Yeah THAT'll be the day, redhead!" Kate yelled back.

His response was a laugh. Kate couldn't help chuckling herself. Ms. April shook her head and wondered outloud if those two would ever grow up.

The boat went all the way into the ocean and, eventually, disappeared into the sunset horizon.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Thus the ranger school saga is over! Now we turn the page to the epic tales ahead for Vientown Daze!...gotta work on the name, yeah.**

**Remember to review, eat your pizza and keep a look out for the very-soon-to-come update!**


	11. Kate's First Day

***watches anime cut scenes to an online video game***

**WHAT? I wait 8 months for the english dub and it totally sucks! **

…**.oh hi guys! 0/0**

***minimizes anime tabs on com.***

**We're back and about to start Kate's first day as a ranger with another 'extra' little something. You'll see momentarily. By the way, I got an overwhelming amount of responses to the previous chapter and I thank all of you! And also, thanks for recommending me to other people…its really sweet of you guys. I try the best I can to write the Almia story and it's great to know you appreciate it. :D**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_Sitting under a tree, Kate strummed her guitar and relaxed in the sunshine filled forest. Wind carefully brushed past. Pokemon were serene. It was a perfect day to practice music and just…well…kick back, take it easy. There was nothing that needed to be done and nothing else to do. It was those kinds of lazy days that, in some ways, Kate missed. She was happy to just play music all alone under the trees._

_Flash!_

_But a blink of the eye and the light in the forest disappeared. Everything was dark. A chill ran through the once calming breezes. Even the pokemon were gone. Kate was completely alone. And suddenly feeling scared, dreading what was yet to come._

"_He's coming…"_

_A pool of darkness opened up in the ground a few feet away from where Kate sat. The same one that she'd seen in her dreams so many times._

"_He's…coming….."_

_Kate tried to scream for help…but her voice…..it….it was gone! Each attempt to say something, anything, was in vain. _

_Flash!_

_Now everything was completely black. Kate was standing amongst….nothingness. Shadows swirled around on the ground with the howling wind. Kate wanted to run, to get the hell away from the horrible place. But her feet…they were stuck were they were. _

"_Kate…"_

_This voice….it was different than the one from before…but Kate knew it….she knew it all too well…._

"_No…" Her thoughts whispered._

"_It's been awhile Kate….come back to the darkness…"_

_Kate tried again to scream, to hope that she could escape the darkness. Her voice was still gone. Giant, dark, sinister hands appeared above Kate. Slowly, they started to descend and surround her. _

"_I'll be meeting you again soon Kate…sooner than you think…."_

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate woke up with a start, gasping for breath and shivering as she sat straight up. Same room she was in….her voice intact….she was alright….no darkness or anything. What a relief! But…her nightmare occurrence had been increasing lately. And then there was that nightmare as well. What did it mean?

"Sissy!"

Megan burst into the room. She was happy but pouted to see Kate wide awake.

"I was gonna surprise you…" Megan huffed.

"Not today, little sis." Kate laughed, getting out of bed.

"That's right! Cause you're a ranger now!" Megan cheered.

Ah, that's right! Yesterday had been the graduation ceremony and today was the first day of being a ranger! Today Kate would go meet up with the Vientown Rangers and join their team! It would be an exciting day, no doubt. Kate got ready and all set to go (in record time!), meeting her parents downstairs, who before we just boasting about the new house.

"Oh…there's our ranger…she…she's so grown up!" Tessa sniffled.

"Mom…" Kate sweatdropped.

"Just be careful out there, ok? And make sure you visit occasionally." Tessa blew her nose into a towel nearby.

"Of course I will!" Kate promised.

"Maybe sometime you can take me out on a real ranger mission!" Megan exclaimed.

"Kate would love to, sunshine!" Carter said before turning to Kate and whispering, "Don't take you sister out on a mission or your mom will freak."

"Gotcha." Kate whispered back, suppressing a laugh.

Kate looked at her family one last time. They were great. REALLY great. These people supported her dreams and goals even though she wasn't their real daughter. For a split second, Kate had been hoping her mother would be as proud as the others were.

"I'm off!" Kate charged right out the door and out into the sunshine.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"YAY! It's so good to see you Sparky!"

Just as Kate stepped on Vientown soil, Luana and her buneary, Fluff, ran out to meet her. She seemed as bubbly as ever.

"I was getting a little excited and ran off to meet you!" Luana cheerfully told Kate. "Let's get to the base! Everyone's waiting!"

Luana started running for base, with Kate close behind. Vientown, Kate noticed, hadn't changed at all. Wonderful place to start out as a ranger actually. Though it looked like a place of little action. And action was what Kate was hoping for.

"Come on! Let's go inside!" Luana started pushing Kate as the ranger base came into view.

"Hey! Luanna…!" Kate tried to break free but Luana was a lot stronger than she looked.

"Bun! Bun bun!" Fluff cheered on, bouncing alongside.

BAM!

Luana managed to crash Kate right into the front doors. Man did it hurt her nose….

"Oops." Luana sheepishly let go. "I guess I got carried away…aw man I hope you're not nervous or anything because of me…."

"I'm fine! And I'm actually more excited than anything." Kate reassured with a grin, though maybe she was a _little_ nervous.

They opened the door and strode right inside. All of the people Kate had met before we in the main lobby. The guys were talking, the operator typing away at her desk, pokemon were around doing their own thing and the mechanic wiping off a tool (which one it was, no idea). When Kate was inside, they stopped what they were doing.

"Sparky! It's been too long!" Crawford called out.

"Long?" Elaine raised an eyebrow.

"Ok not THAT long…" Crawford sweatdropped.

"It's good to see you back at Vientown base, Sparky." The operator said.

Kate had a feeling THAT nickname wasn't going to die….

"Congrats on graduating!" Barlow said.

"We heard about your heroics at the school! Impressive work getting those tangrowth to calm down!" Elaine told her.

"It wasn't ALL me. Keith captured one too." Kate said.

"Ah yeah! Red's off in the Fiorre region for his assignment. Would've been great to have him here too." Crawford remembered. "That reminds me…for lunch today, Sparky, I'd like…"

"Don't go scaring her on the first day!" Luana whacked him.

"Kidding! Kidding!" Crawford held his hands up in defense.

Kate laughed. Though she knew Keith was probably at his own base about the same time. Where in Fiorre did he get assigned? And what sort of first day bring him as well?

"Come on guys, lets get down to business." Barlow said. "Sparky, the bathrooms in the back. We've got the ranger uniform for you all set and laid out!"

"Thanks Barlow!"

Kate went to the changing room and went from her casual clothes to ranger uniform. It was amazing for her. Wearing an actual ranger's uniform…that was downright awesome! And she did look pretty darn good in it. After a moment of admiration over the new uniform, Kate left the room and back into the base.

"Sorry that we had to second-guess on the size. We figured you were about Luana's height." Barlow told her.

"Fits great! I love it!" Kate said.

"You wear it great! The ranger look is definitely for you!" Elaine complimented.

"Well now. The time's come." Barlow placed something in her hands. "Here's your capture styler. It officially makes you a Pokemon ranger."

Whoa…unbelievable! Granted Kate got to use one in Ranger School…but this was her very own one. Kate tried to focus on what Barlow was saying about the capture styler but she was too overjoyed from the experience.

"Anyways…" Kate snapped back to reality, where Barlow was still speaking. "ALRIGHT PEOPLE! Fall in!"

The other rangers and mechanic assembled into a line.

"Granted you know us…but its tradition for introductions." Barlow said. "People, time to say hello to Spar…Kate! Perhaps it was fate that we met early on the 1 day internship."

Spar-kate?

"I'm Barlow, the leader of the Vientown base. My partner pokemon is Punch, my makuhita." Barlow gave a fist pump to Punch, who returned it. "The jokester in the middle is Crawford. He's been here for a few years along with Buddy."

Buddy, the budew, was at Crawford's ankles. Seemed chipper at the intro.

"Then the dark-haired girl is Luana and her buneary's fluff. Nice white teeth, friendly to everyone, scatterbrained at times. But, heads up, not the best cook. Just this morning she incinerated toast. AND our toaster." Barlow went on.

"Which I now have to rebuild…" Elaine sighed as Luana sweatdropped.

"Here's Elaine, our mechanic whose love life is only in machinery. And she prefers taking things apart, blowing them up, demolishing over assembling them. But don't worry! You can trust her with your stylers!"

Attention was turned to the operator.

"And this here is our operator, Becca. Always smiles and is ready to help out. She won the styler-recharing competition for the last three years." Barlow explained. "And that is our entire team, Sparky. I'm expecting big things from you!"

"So what's the first mission?" Kate asked.

"Already spoken like a true ranger!" Barlow chuckled. "You'll be delivering papers around town with Crawford."

…..ok…..not the most exciting mission…..but it'd do. Kate smiled and accepted the mission, no problem. She and Crawford gathered the newspapers from the counter and went off into town.

"Hope you don't mind but I wrote about you in today's issue." Crawford told her.

"Wait…do YOU write the Vien Tribute?" Kate asked, getting curious.

"Some of it." He boasted. "Usually the humor page but every now and again I slip in an extra article or two."

As they walked through town, Kate got to know all of the people who lived there. It was nice to meet Little Tim again, after the entire 'bidoof mauling' happened. Big Bertha and her four hyper-active kids welcomed Kate and even offered milk to the rangers (Kate accepted, having skipped breakfast). Other members of town were happy to receive their paper, happy to meet the new "rookie ranger". Chicole Village was the second town and delivering papers was just like in Vientown.

"Sissy? Why are you delivering newspapers?" Megan questioned when Kate and Crawford visited her family. "Cool looking rangers like you should be doing cool missions…"

"Crawford, Kate's still a kid so could you watch out and make sure she…." Tessa was about to say.

"MOM…" Kate groaned.

"Don't worry! You can count on me!" Crawford chuckled.

Within a little while, the papers had been delivered and the two rangers were about to head back to base. At least till Crawford stopped in his tracks.

"Shoot…" he snapped his fingers. "We still have Mr. Woodward."

"That explains the one newspaper left." Kate said. "Where's his house?"

"The red-roof one. But the man's always gone during the day, spending time at the beach." Crawford replied.

"To the beach!" Kate started to race west.

"Hey no fair! You got a headstart!" Crawford called, starting to break into a run.

Getting to the beach was nothing. Kate knew the way, same as the last time she came. And like Vientown, nothing really changed. It was still a beautiful, quiet place.

"CHIPPA!"

"Huh?"

Before she knew what happened, something slammed right into Kate. She was knocked back a few feet when Crawford came down the steps.

"What in the world…?" He scratched his afro.

"Pachirisu!" Kate exclaimed.

The pachirisu from before was rubbing against her shoulders. She seemed to miss Kate….a lot. And Kate certainly did miss the sweetheart as well.

"I remember you. You're the student from Ranger school."

From up on the beach came an old man, joining the scene. Kate sat back up, stroking the pachirisu in her arms.

"Morning Mr. Woodward." Crawford greeted, handing him his newspaper.

"Thank you Crawford." Mr. Woodward turned back to Kate. "Congrats on graduating school! This pachirisu's probably been waiting. Every day since I last saw you, she's been crossing the beach time and time again. Almost as if searching for someone…"

"I guess the old saying is true. Meet someone on the beach, you become good friends. Buddy and I met here." Crawford pet Buddy on his head.

That gave Kate an idea.

"Hey pachirisu? How about you be my partner?" Kate asked her.

"Chi! Chippa!" Pachirisu cheered.

Had to be a yes. Whether the sign had been the ecstatic response or the tight hugging.

"Great idea! I don't think we'd be able to pull her off of you again…" Crawford joked.

"Me neither." Kate sweatdropped. "How about we call you…hm….Chia?"

Pachirisu, now Chia, accepted the name with pleasure. Chia scrambled on top of Kate's shoulder, ready to go.

"Let's head back to base!" Crawford said, starting to dash off. "Race you home!"

"Hey now YOU'RE cheating!" Kate raced after him.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT PACHIRISU DOING HERE?"

Elaine had ducked behind the operators counter, wielding her wrench as if it were some sort of weapon.

"Um…you ok Elaine?" Becca asked with caution.

"I went down to the beach some time back and it electrified me! That thing HATES me!" Elaine cried.

Chia rolled her eyes and got off of Kate's shoulders. She came over to the operators desk where the surprised Elaine kept guard.

"I think she was mad about you using a magnet on her so Kate could escape." Luana suggested.

"Her name's Chia. And she's my new partner pokemon!" Kate introduced.

"Chi!" Chia held its paw out, as if to shake.

Elaine stared at it for a moment, suspicious. She hesitated before finally shaking Chia's paw and patting her on the head.

"Alright she stays." Elaine muttered.

"Anyways, good job on the first mission Sparky." Barlow told Kate. "Better call it a day for now. Your room's on the second level. Third door on the right."

"Thanks Barlow!" Kate, with Chia at her side, took up Barlow's offer and went off to see her new room.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Weird dreams followed up by a crazy day and a new partner! Welcome to the team Chia! Hopefully you and Elaine won't have any more 'disagreements'…**

**Read, review, get ready for the next chapter! Update won't be too distant in your future! Thank you!**


	12. Call

**It's a story update! Yay for updates! Yay for Shadows of Almia! Yay fo….**

***spills mac & cheese over story notes***

…**.yay for tasty notes? Eh….I'll get some napkins.**

**Enjoy! Read up, review away and hope you enjoy!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate relaxed on the bed with Chia, exhausted after what had happened at dinner only moments ago. Barlow was right. Luana really was a disaster in the kitchen. The 'celebratory dinner' didn't seem to look like…well…food. On the bright side, Kate learned how to stop future kitchen fires. That and the pizza was good. Life in Vientown was calm but surrounded by friends and warmhearted humor. Being stationed there would be kind of nice.

_Ring Ring Ring!_

The styler was ringing. But….hey wait…who could possibly call? Everyone was inside the base already. They could just call her down. Plus Crawford was helping Luana clean.

"Hello?" Kate answered the styler.

"Guess who?"

"KEITH?"

On the screen, the redhead snickered. Yep. It was him alright.

"How did you…?" Kate tried to ask.

"Rhythmi. She got into the ranger databases awhile ago and managed to find our stylers. Took awhile though since you were an out-of-region number. She told me to tell you she'll be calling later." Keith explained.

"Rhythmi never wastes time." Kate sweatdropped.

"How's Vientown?" Keith asked.

"Great! I've delivered newspapers, got to know the other rangers and handled a kitchen fire." Kate replied.

"Kitchen fire? Well I bet it's NOTHING like my day!" Keith chuckled devilish.

"Oh yeah? Now what did you do?" Kate challenged.

"Ah….well…" Keith sweatdropped. "Alright fine. All I did was meet my partner pokemon."

A buizel appeared next to Keith.

"This is Wave, my buizel!" Keith told her. "He's totally awesome!"

"Buoy buoy!" Wave chirped.

"You're not the only who got a partner. Remember someone?" Kate tested as Chia came into Keith's view.

"Hey is that the same pachirisu that clung to you?" Keith looked shocked.

"Her name's Chia." Kate stroked Chia's ears. "We met on the beach and became partners."

"Well I'll be darned! You two are a good match!" Keith smiled. "Wave and I met inside the Lyra forest."

"Lyra forest….wait….are you…" Kate gasped.

"Stationed in Ringtown!" Keith told her, energetic.

"That's awesome Keith!" Kate said.

"Not as awesome as being stationed in Summerland."

Split on screen was another face. Rhythmi's face flickered onscreen.

"Rhythmi!" Kate and Keith exclaimed.

"Sorry I interfered in your alone time." She greeted.

Oddly, Keith seemed to have the look of a wicked sunburn. Kate wasn't sure how she missed it earlier.

"You got Summerland?" Kate asked Rhythmi.

"Lucky…" Keith mumbled.

"It's been great too! The base leader, Cameron, is super nice! And I made a few friends already!" Rhythmi responded.

"Still don't get why being an operator's better than being a ranger." Keith shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well of course YOU don't." Rhythmi rolled her eyes.

A background voice called. Rhythmi turned away from the screen for a brief moment.

"Sorry guys. I'm needed." Rhythmi told them. "I registered your numbers and I'll call you both sometime soon!"

Rhythmi's screen disappeared.

"Hey Kate!" That was Crawford calling from downstairs. "Come on down!"

"Just a sec Crawford!" Kate shouted back, then turning her attention back to the styler. "Would you…?"

"Go ahead." Keith waved it off, not seeming to mind. "I've got you registered and we'll be talking again real soon."

"Thanks Keith. It's really nice to see you again." Kate said

The sunburn seemed to get a little worse. Should she even point it out…? Nah. She had to go see what Crawford wanted. With one last 'later', Kate shut the styler off and got up. Both she and Chia walked out of the room, down the stairs and into the base.

"Hey guys. What's…."

Kate froze. Everyone had pies in their hands. And devious smiles across their faces. Even the pokemon seemed to be in on it as well.

"Ranger initiation. Another tradition we like to uphold around here." Barlow chuckled.

"Hope you like banana cream, Sparky." Crawford snickered.

Kate had a creeping suspicion she'd find out in just a moment….

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Keith shut the styler off and relaxed on the bed in his ranger room. It was great to be able to talk to Kate again. And he'd be able to talk to her often too. Despite being in different regions, the two of them could still be best friends. Maybe it had only been a day but Keith missed her a little.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

…**..ok yeah yeah yeah, it's a short chapter. Sorry about that! But it had to be written! Besides, I did update twice today with chapters. It's also to make up for tomorrow's update, since I'll be extremely busy tomorrow.**


	13. Machine

**What a beautiful day! The sun is shining, the wind is calm, the air is pleasant…..LETS SPEND IT PLAYING VIDEO GAMES AND WATCHING CARTOONS!**

**As they say in the old cartoon 'Xiolin Showdown', let's go! Read, review, enjoy away! Gong ye Tanpai!**

**Authors note; the partner pokemon can't actually talk. The bond between a ranger and their partner pokemon can help a ranger understand the pokemon.**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Several days passed. Kate learned to patrol, get the hang of her new styler and team up with Chia (though that hadn't been hard at all). She knew all of the Vientown neighbors and a good portion of Chicole village. Rhythmi and Keith had called once more and all had a nice conversation, catching up on latest progress. Things were as they should be; peaceful but fun. At least….until Barlow called everyone into base for a meeting.

"Listen up people! We've got a report from Mr. Woodward, claiming strange noises are coming from Marine Cave, down on the beach." Barlow explained. "I'm thinking this connects to the incident from earlier, back when Kate captured Chia."

"I'll go check it out!" Kate volunteered, eager for a little excitement.

"Alright. Crawford, go with Sparky just in case." Barlow agreed. "Marine cave is just across the beach. It's low tide so you should be able to go inside."

"Thanks Barlow!" The two called as they dashed out the door.

"Woo! First real action in a long time!" Crawford said.

"It's gonna be awesome!" Kate cheered.

They made it to the beach in no time. Kate had charged on ahead but Crawford paused for a second.

"I think I do hear something…" Crawford's attention turned towards Kate. "HEY SPARKY! Watch out for the…"

"ACK!"

Slam!

"….shellos…."

Kate found herself on her back, in a puddle of Shellos ooze. The shellos looked at Kate curiously for a moment before crawling away. She probably didn't see it earlier. With a groan, the ranger got back up.

"Tried to warn ya." Crawford snickered.

"So are we close to Marine cave?" Kate wiped the goo off.

"Right over there." Crawford pointed to an opening in the cliff wall, far down on the beach.

They went over and entered inside the cave. Strange noises were, indeed, echoing throughout the cave. It started to give Kate a headache and uneasy nerves.

"Well if it were just finding out the noise, it'd be easy. But take a look at those pokemon over there…" Crawford said, looking over at a zubat and shellos nearby.

The pokemon were spinning around, dizzy and almost trance-like. Were they sick? Hard to tell. More like zombie-infected by the way they were acting. Whatever the case was, the zubat launched itself right into Kate. Stunned but with capture styler in hand, she made the easy capture to try and befriend the zubat. Only….it wasn't befriended.

"This….is weird…" Crawford stared after the pokemon as it flew off. "You did a proper capture. it should've been befriended no problem. But at least our pokemon haven't been affected."

Kate saw Chia and Buddy were perfectly fine. Just irritated by the noise a bit. Crawford and Kate headed deeper into the cave, where the noise grew louder and Kate's headache grew stronger. Despite the pain, Kate managed to hide it so she wouldn't ruin the mission. That and the excitement the mission would bring was enough to press on.

"Guess what the noise is and you win three milk puddings! Courtesy of…" Crawford joked.

Kate laughed. Another random joke from the one and only afro-ranger.

"You were lookin a little nervous. Thought I'd perk you up." Crawford told her. "And I think that pulsing sound is close. If you get anxious, just keep talking to me…or at least to keep me from panicking."

It was enough to bring the smile back. Crawford didn't know about the headaches but he had known something was up. Leave it to him to be unpredictably funny at a somewhat serious mission.

"Chippa! Chi chi chippa!" Chia pointed ahead.

The two rangers ran up ahead to find the sorce. A strange red machine with several pokemon running around it in a trance, seeming to be in extreme pain. Kate had been feeling extreme pain of her own. It felt like a train smacked right into her. What in the world was wrong with her?

"You ok?" Crawford asked.

"I'm getting a headache." Kate tried to shake it off. "But what do you think this thing is?"

"Dunno. But its not doing any sort of good for the pokemon." Crawford shook his head. "Seems to me its making them go haywire. So we better stop this….whatever it is."

"Let's try deeper down the cave." Kate suggested. "To find some pokemon to destroy it."

They went into another opening in the cave, hoping to find a pokemon with x2 water power. The pulsing noise was gone as well as Kate's headache. Pokemon were going about their business, nothing wrong whatsoever.

"I think we're out of range from the machine." Kate deducted.

"And there's a gastrodon not far off. Only thing is, there's a boulder blocking the way to it." Crawford told her. "So let's find a pokemon strong enough to move it."

There was a squirtle, couple of shellos, geodudes (though they were shy) and a pichu. But at the very end of the cave was a nosepass, perfect for the job. Kate managed to capture it no problem. Though it was trouble trying to get the slow pokemon to get to the boulder quickly enough ("It's a slow-pass!" Crawford kidded.) With one hit and break, the nosepass successfully turned the giant rock into dozens of pebbles.

"So the gastrodons in here?" Kate asked, ducking inside. "YIPE!"

Slam!

Slipped again on strange ooze. Same stuff the shellos used outside the cave.

"I'd say yes." Crawford chuckled.

Kate got up and found the gastrodon at the back of the cave, napping. She got a good start capturing but the gastrodon, hating to be woken up, did give some trouble with its ooze. Thank you Chia for helpin out! Made the capture a lot easier and faster. With the gastrodon, the rangers and pokemon went straight back to the machine. The throbbing headache didn't wait one second to return to Kate as well. Wanting the horrid thing destroyed, Kate got the gastrodon to water-gun it.

_Zzzt. Zzzzztttttttt…_

"HIT THE HECK!"

BAM!

Crawford managed to grab Kate and pull her away from the machine as it blew up. The pokemon snapped out of their trance as soon as the machine was obliterated and ran elsewhere. As for the machine itself, it wasn't completely ruined. Though the noise stopped, Kate still had a small headache.

"Good work Sparky! The machine was the cause after all. And thanks to you, we've managed to stop the noise as per mission." Crawford praised. "This machine seems a bit shady. Better take it back to base for inspection."

Crawford tried to lift the machine. Nothing. Not even a budge. He was having some hard trouble trying to move it.

"Rgh…Sparky! Gimme…a hand here…" Crawford panted

Kate came over and reached over for the machine. But a jolt shocked her hand, making her jump back a bit.

"Ow!" She cried.

"You alright?" Crawford asked.

"Just a little shock." Kate reached for it again but with the same result. "HEY!"

"Maybe we should call in for backup." Crawford leaned against the cave wall, about to call someone through the styler.

"Good idea, calling for Barlow." Kate said.

"Oh not Barlow. Someone stronger. Someone who beat our leader in arm wrestling in three seconds." Crawford told her.

"THAT strong?" Kate blinked.

"Heck yeah." Crawford said. "You go on ahead, out of base. I'll wait here for Almia's strongest person."

Kate and Chia ran through the cave and back out into the sunshine. Her headache was gone and the ocean wind felt good. Minus the throbbing pain, the mission was a good one. Kate felt happy for the success of it, with Chia feeling the same as well.

"Missions are awesome! Hope we get to go on another!"

"You can say that again." Kate patted Chia's head.

Kate walked down the beach, finding Big Bertha was strolling down her way.

"Oh hello Kate! Keeping up with missions?" She happily greeted. "Odd that Crawford called me out to the cave…no idea why…"

Wait a second….BERTHA? She was the strongest in Almia? The one who beats buff Barlow at arm wrestling? Sure Bertha seemed strong but….

"My husband got all jealous and thought I was going on a date with Crawford. So I told him….I WAS!" Bertha laughed.

Kate sweatdropped as both she and Bertha went their separate ways.

"_Who knew?"_ Chia sweatdropped as well.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Crawford gave me the run-down of the incident. Good job, Sparky! Mission Clear!"

Kate flashed her pose, feeling pretty darn proud of herself. Chia was jumping around beside her.

"Now then, I'm promoting you to Ranger Rank 1." Barlow told her.

Another pose later and Becca was already updating the styler Kate had. There was a brief explanation for what the adjustments were for but Kate was too distracted by her first promotion to really listen.

"Oh yeah. I was reading the paper." Elaine gave Kate the front page. "Looks like someone's famous already."

Right there was Keith and Wave, charging after a gyarados in Summerland under the headline "Rampage in Summerland!". Another picture was shown, Keith and Wave posing, under another article title "Keith is the new hero!".

"Pray that his head doesn't explode from the new fame." Kate joked, handing the paper back.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Let me get this straight. You managed to heave this thing over your shoulder. And bring it here. Without any sort of trouble whatsoever….."

The entire base was in shock as Crawford and Bertha had dropped the machine onto the floor in a gigantic thump. Kate, who had been on a quest prior, raced back inside and joined the others as they circled the object.

"And cue headache…" Kate mentally moaned, feeling the pain once more.

Crawford explained the entire situation to Barlow; about how this thing was causing pokemon to act strange and the whole "cant be befriended while around the machine".

"Creepy…" Luana shuddered.

"LEMME DISMANTLE IT!" Elaine jumped for the machine, eyes in stars and multiple tools in the hands.

"Someone hold her back!" Crawford frantically shouted.

Kate snagged her arms and held her back, as Crawford had requested. Man Elaine was tough…hard to keep a grip on. But Kate knew not to EVER let go. Elaine would destroy that thing within a few seconds. Though Kate wanted that thing completely in ruins, she knew better than to release the crazed mechanic.

"Awwww….but I wanna take it apart…." Elaine whined.

"We know! But Professor Hastings should really look over it first." Barlow told her.

Professor Hastings….oh yeah! Kate did a report on him back in ranger school. Created the styler that she was using and helped found the ranger union. Extremely important guy.

"But…but he's in Fiorre on a business trip…" Elaine sniffled.

"Yes but Becca will call the union and then Hastings will rush back as soon as he…" Barlow tried to say.

"BECCA!" Elaine whirled around to the startled operator.

"Elaine…" Luana sweatdropped. "Don't pressure the poor girl…"

"It's been a hectic day so we're all going to wind down." Barlow sighed. "Just make sure to keep an eye on Elaine and lock her inside her room tonight. Just in case."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Keith collapsed onto bed. Another busy day patrolling. Of course it wasn't nearly as epic as that Summerland adventure. Now THAT was a mission. And in a sunny, warm place….just perfect! Would've been paradise if Rhythmi hadn't been there. Kidding!...mostly. Keith flipped on the styler and called Kate, hoping it wasn't too late to chat with her for a bit.

"Hey Keith." Kate greeted.

Oh boy…her hair…it was…

"What's with your hair?" Keith felt the strange feeling creeping up his cheeks.

"Oh I just about to head to the showers. I let it down." Kate answered.

DAMN. IT. She was….wow! Her hair flowed down her shoulders like a mountain river. The color seemed to shine more, a beautiful even brown. Somehow Kate seemed more beautiful…wait…NO STOP! Had to cool down…

"I read the papers. Good work on the gyarados rampage!" Kate said.

"Yeah. It was a piece of cake." Keith arrogantly told her. "I'd totally sign that newspaper for ya."

"And here I thought the success would go to your head." Kate rolled her eyes, smiling.

"Anything new in Vientown?" Keith asked.

Kate relayed the mission to him, including all the details. Had to admit. That sounded really cool and mysterious.

"Interesting…what do you think about all this?" Keith was getting curious.

"Well whoever made the thing better not have any more." Kate sighed. "It was enough trouble in that cave."

"The mission didn't seem too hard." Keith said.

"True but I got a giant headache whenever that machine's around. Even destroyed, I can't go back down to base without a small scale headache." Kate explained.

"WHAT? Are you ok?" Keith questioned, concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine now. And I'll learn to deal with it." Kate brushed it off.

Keith was relieved. Thank goodness she wasn't hurt. But he was still anxious over how much pain Kate was feeling. Keith couldn't even help or be with her. Poor girl….

"I'll let you get some sleep." Keith said. "Be careful."

"Keith?"

"Yeah?"

"Er…sorry to ask but…um….did anyone find out about….you know…" Kate stumbled as she tried to ask him something.

But Keith understood exactly.

"No one but you and Wave knows. I've transformed a lot less since becoming a ranger, believe it or not." Keith responded.

"Good to hear. Thanks and good night." Kate cut off communications.

Keith shut off his styler as Wave hopped onto bed with him. Petting the pokemon, Keith started to think about Kate. She looked so…so…amazing with her hair down…a lot less spiky than he thought.

"_Feelin a little something for the girl?"_

Buizel smirked in a sly manner.

"Oh who asked you?" Keith exclaimed, feeling his face get hot. "You're supposed to be on my side!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**I'll leave it to you guys to wonder if he poofed or not. xD**

**Anyways, next chapter shan't be far off! Keep the patience people! Also I am loving the comments and reviews from you all. You guys are so awesome and sweet! Thank you!**


	14. Fiery Friends

***flooded with new replies & readers***

**ACK! LIFE PRESERVER! **

***climbs ontop a Blastoise***

**You readers….sniff….I'm so proud of me and of you! And I'm so happy you guys love my fanfic! So sweet of you all! Which is why I post this chapter as an extra update for ya, to say thanks.**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

With a yawn, Kate stepped into the base. She groaned a little as the headache struck, making her remember the damn machine was still taking up residence inside the base. But what was really bothering Kate was the smell. Luana had obviously been burning something again…

"I thought Becca was supposed to do breakfast this morning…" Kate said, trying to wake up.

"I am. I was going to get started but then I smelled something burning. Figured Luana already got started." Becca told her, confused.

"Better get the fire extinguisher ready." Barlow and Crawford said in unison.

At that point, Luana burst through the front doors. She seemed awfully freaked out so early in the morning.

"GUYS! I saw…there was…Vien Forest….there's….ah…thing…..smoke….aaaah!…" Luana stammered, still in shock.

"Luana calm down!" Crawford ran over to her. "What's wrong?"

"Fire! Vien forest! Now!" Luana finally got the words out.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Luana, Crawford and Kate ran into the woods. Smoke had only formed around the entrance so the flames had to be deeper. But no doubt about it….Vien Forest was in flames. Big time. The plan, according to Crawford, was to head down to the middle of the forest where fire was the worst. There were bound to be wartortle to help put the fire out.

"Hold on!" Kate stopped. "I…I think I heard someone!"

Everyone paused. They listened, hearing two or maybe three screams. But Kate knew one of them all too well.

"Oh Arceus…..my sistser's in here…." Kate gasped, starting to run into one of the heavily burning areas. "Guys, go on ahead! I'll catch up in a few minutes!"

She managed to dodge several trees that were burning up all too quickly. Lots of flamed logs stood in the way but Kate dashed around. She had to get to her sister. Even if it meant going against Barlow's orders….

"_Do anything reckless or unsafe….you'll be answering to ME."_

It was pretty deep in but Kate heard the screams and whimpers close by. One of the cul-de-sacs in the trees revealed three girls huddling together, terrified. And Megan was one of them.

"Sissy!" Megan started to run over, the other girls close behind.

From above, Kate heard a snap. She looked to see a strong branch caving under the fire and started to fall. With Megan right below.

"MEGAN!"

Shielding her sister, Kate had leapt over and stood over Megan. Kate felt the branch scrape the right side of her face, by the ear, and down her shoulder. It stung like crazy…no doubt going to leave some serious burns that'd take awhile to heal off. But Megan was fine.

"What are you DOING out here?" Kate questioned, worried sick.

"We…we were playing in the woods when the fire started….but we couldn't see and got lost…" Megan sniffled, clinging to Kate's leg.

Kate looked over at the other girls, trembling like crazy. Kate recognized one of them; Bertha's youngest girl. The other Kate had seen maybe once or twice before but wasn't entirely sure.

"Let's get you out of here." Kate sighed.

Megan and the unfamiliar girl piggy-backed on Kate's back. The weight wasn't terribly bad but Kate hoped it wouldn't slow her down. Bertha's kid was carried in Kate's arm. After a second to prepare herself, Kate charged back into the flames. She barely escaped the pathway when the entrance to it was blocked off by flaming lumber. Kate got the girls out of the dangerous part of the woods, setting them down where it was more safe.

"Just go straight and be careful." Kate instructed. "I don't want you coming back in here till its safe."

"But…what about you?" Megan asked, shaking still.

"I've got a fire to take out." Kate grinned.

She charged back into the fire, quickly making it back into the extremely dangerous part of the woods. In no time, Kate reached Luana and Crawford who were trying to rescue pokemon and put out the flames. They were happy to see Kate was back.

"Great to see ya Sparky and….hey what happened?" Luana saw the burns Kate took.

"Couldn't take the heat? Gah….right, this isn't the time for jokes…" Crawford sighed.

"Had a little trouble getting the girls out. But I'm alright." Kate told them. "What's our plan?"

"Well my styler's not working right due to the heat. And while wartortle's are helping, this fire's spreading too fast for us to handle. If we don't get more water, we might even be in trouble…" Crawford explained.

"My styler says there's a blastoise nearby. I'd get it but I need to hold things together here." Luana added.

"No problem. I'll go capture it and bring it back here." Kate said

"Alright. Go west and to the river." Luana instructed.

Kate nodded and ran off. Kate easily found the river, in an area of the forest that had yet to burn. The blastoise was sleeping by the reeds, blissfully unaware of the danger that lurked nearby. Capturing the pokemon was a breeze. Didn't even mind being captured. It ran alongside Kate back into the fire.

"Luana! Crawford! Get ready!" Kate called.

"BLAAAAAAAAAASSSTTTTT!" The Blastoise roared.

Drip. Drip drip drip.

Pssssshhhhhhh….WOOSH!

It felt like an ocean had been dropped from the sky. The rangers shrieked with joy as the water doused the fire completely as well as soaking them to the bone. Kate had to admit it was pretty damn awesome.

"Now that is the way to take care of a fire. WOOO!" Crawford shouted.

"I'll say! Kate you rock!" Luana rubbed Kate's head. "Oh hold on! Fluff! What're you up to?"

Luana raced off for a brief moment. Kate noticed that Crawford had bent over nearby, picking up something.

"Whats up?" Kate asked.

"A friend of mine likes these kinds of flowers." Crawford replied casually. "I'm glad they didn't burn in the fire."

"That's nice!" Kate agreed.

From the corner of her eye, she saw someone. A guy with wide eyes bolted away from the scene….how suspicious….

"HEY STOP!" Kate chased right after him.

The guy was quick…..of course not as quick as Kate was. She managed to run him into one of the culdesacs of the woods. The guy shook, frozen with fear. He seemed guilty about something. Perhaps about the fire?

"Hey Kate, slow down!"

Crawford and Luana caught up.

"Fluff found some of those same machines from our base, only burnt up and completely obliterated." Luana told her. "….hey who IS that?"

"I saw him trying to run away from us. Something seemed wrong." Kate answered.

"Maybe he knows something. But whether or not he does, this guy's got burns all over. Better take him for treatment." Crawford said.

Surrounding the scared guy completely, all three rangers and their pokemon started to escort the man back to their base.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate had been promoted to Ranger Rank 2.

…..right after getting yelled at by Barlow. He saw the burns and assumed that she had done something dangerous (which she had). Elaine had been busy with the strange guy's injuries so it was up to Becca to help out. With a bandaid and some medicine, the operator skillfully patched Kate right up.

"Don't worry. Barlow's just concerned for the safety of his crew." Becca whispered to Kate.

Attention was then turned to the guy. Barlow had already ordered him to be tied up with ropes, with hardly any room to wriggle. For the leader, it was proof enough of him squirming while Elaine treated him and also not saying a single word. Kate was wondering what this guy was hiding…

"So are you going to tell us your name? Or shall we just give you a nickname?" Barlow questioned. "Like…..oil-stinking guy? Or forest-burning creep? Maybe something like Senor Arsonist?"

"Boss, your sense of comedy is way off…" Crawford mumbled.

"Why not something like….um…." Luana was trying to think.

"Ollie?" Elaine suggested. "He IS covered in oil."

The guy smiled but only for a second.

"He likes it! And I kinda do too." Kate said.

"Same here." Luana agreed.

"Well, Ollie?" Barlow folded his arms. "Want to save the trouble and just talk?"

Ollie said nothing in reply.

"Eh he'll talk soon enough." Barlow shrugged. "Now then. Fire's probably caused some trouble for the people in Vientown so I suggest we do some patrolling to make sure everyone's alright."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"!"

Kate was greeted by a jumble of words as soon as she flipped the styler, a few hours later down by the beach. Rhythmi was on the other end of the call, apparently worried.

"Could you slow down just a touch?" Kate sweatdropped.

"News spreads fast around us operators and I've heard you took on a fire! And I see the huge band-aid on your face!" Rhythmi told her, manic.

"Yeah there was a slight glitch. Megan was trapped in the woods and I managed to get her out. At the price of a burn of course." Kate said.

"You saved your sister? Its so touching how much you care for her…" Rhythmi cried. "Just don't go killing yourself in the process, kay?"

"I already got that lecture." Kate shuddered at the memory.

"Hey guys!"

Keith's image popped right up, splitting up the screen space.

"I was just….WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU?" Keith yelled, about as agitated as Rhythmi was.

Kate gave him the full-story of what happened. Keith seemed shocked over the events but, near the end, a bit worn out.

"Can't believe you took on a fire like that…" Keith sighed.

"Awww. Worried about Kate are we?" Rhythmi asked in an unusual tone.

"SHUT UP!" Keith snapped.

"Guys, I'm fine. It's a small burn and it'll heal." Kate reassured. "But it's nice to know you guys care about me. Even though we're a little farther away, you're still willing to chat like before. You two are still willing to be friends with me."

"Of course we are! You're funny, confident, a really good capturer and strong spirited! That's why I wanted to be friends with you in the first place." Keith told her, surprised she said that. "True, you're reckless but I would never ditch you! Maybe RHYTHMI would…"

"HEY! I'd never do that!" Rhythmi shot back. "Kate, we're here for you. And we always will be."

"Thanks guys." Kate smiled.

"So Keith, were you serious about what you said to Kate?" Rhythmi questioned the redhead.

"Rhythmi…" Keith seemed a bit peeved at her for some reason or another.

"Guys! Don't fight! Chillax!" Kate nervously tried to break it up, hoping another battle wouldn't ensue.

"Oh hey. Spencer's callin. Gotta run!" Just like that, Keith was gone.

For awhile, Kate and Rhythmi talked about all sorts of stuff. When it was time to go, they ended communications and Kate left back for base.

"ELAINE!"

"Come on just one screw! A tiny screw will not make a difference in this rust-bucket machine!"

"You say that while holding a chainsaw?"

"You're scaring our hostage!"

"Ok how about a tiny dent in the metal? Please please PLEASE!"

"Sparky, help us out here!"

Yep. Base sweet base it was.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Whew. Second update today! I am on a roll with creativity! I'd probably update a third time today if my little cousins + bro weren't pestering me. But the day is young. We shall see won't we? **

**Read, review, and your next update shall come very soon! Thanks!**


	15. Jamming out

**Hey guys! I consider this similar to a bonus chapter. Nothing really added to story but feel free to interpret it your way.**

**(*) is in this chapter! If you've read chapter 9, then you'll know what it means! The song for this chapter is "Kim Kam Jam" (just ignore the occasional voice remarks in the 2 minute song). As said before, totally recommended you search youtube and listen to the song to enjoy the story a little more.**

**Thanks to all for reading and reviewing!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"I had no idea you loved music so much!"

Everyone (minus the absent Barlow) stared at Luana as she ran over to Kate.

"What instruments do you play? Tell me tell me tell me!" Luana begged.

"Whoa…how did you…?" Kate tried to ask.

"Oh I was going to press the flowers I got so I could preserve them longer. So I thought you'd have a heavy book or something. And then I found those music sheets under your bed!" Luana explained.

Busted. Kate had been working on some songs last night and meant to hide them away.

"Flowers? Where'd you get them from?" Elaine asked.

Crawford shifted positions and looked away from the group nonchalantly. So in a way, this mess led all the way back to afro-ranger. Big surprise.

"You never said you played music." Becca said.

"You never asked." Kate shrugged, trying to maintain her cool.

Hopefully the situation would blow over soon. Just a few questions and then done. No one would ever speak of it again. It was embarrassing enough when Keith and Rhythmi found out.

"What instruments?" Crawford asked.

"Guitar, grass whistle, ocarina. A little piano." Kate replied.

"Maybe you can play for us." Becca suggested.

"No, no. I don't usually play in front of other people." Kate nervously told them.

"Time to get to work!" Barlow cut in, walking into the room. "Kate and Luana, you'll be patrolling. Crawford, you're helping me with 'Elaine watch'. We'll question Ollie later."

Ollie sweatdropped.

"Alright! Move out!"

Luana and Kate strolled out the door and into Vientown. Most of their quests were relatively easy. Chaos from the fire still raged on, with panic over the pokemon & way of life. But the two girls were happy to help. Seeing the smiles on the faces of happy people and pokemon was awesome.

"Evening Mr. Woodward!" Luana greeted, walking to his house late in the day.

"Hello to you Luana and Kate." Mr. Woodward nodded. "Come in for a moment? I wanted to thank you for helping with the forest fire."

They went inside. Kate looked around with amazement. Wooden carvings of all sorts sat on the walls. Statues with specific details and sizes were sprawled across the room. Heck…almost all the furniture itself was made of wood. They didn't call this guy Mr. Woodward for nothing. But the one thing that wasn't made of wood was in another room, peeking through the door.

"I see you're curious. In that room is my piano. I play on occasion." Mr. Woodward explained.

"Really?" Luana gasped. "Mr. Woodward! Kate plays piano!"

"Luana…!" Kate tried to object.

"Kate, PLEASE play something? Pretty please!" Luana begged, getting wound up. "I bet you're really good!"

Her black eyes shined like a puppy dogs, becoming impossible to resist. Kate knew those eyes from when she asked Crawford to help her clean the kitchen again after another cooking fiasco (for which he said yes). Now she knew how the guy felt, being shot at with those…those eyes. Gah they were like a pokemons!

"Alright…" Kate sighed, knowing this was a fight she wouldn't win. "As long as Mr. Woodward doesn't mind."

"Why not? Let's see what you know." Mr. Woodward accepted.

All three went into the other room. Kate sat down at the piano, feeling a surge of anxiety in her stomach. Only once did she play in front of someone and it was Keith. She didn't feel that anxiety then for some reason. But she sure felt it, facing the piano.

"Need a note sheet?" Mr. Woodward offered.

"No. I remember a song that'll work." Kate declined.

She was surprised she remembered any song at all. But this certain piano song had been her favorite to play and sitting back down on the piano brought memories. Memories of her and her brother sneaking into the community rec center after hours to practice playing. And memories of Kate studying music sheets to understand. Even those of piano songs that Kate tried to imitate. With a deep breath, she started to play.

**(*)**

It was exactly as it was with Keith. The song came back to her instantly; every single note and rhythmic flow. Kate could feel the song revitalize her musical senses and pull her deeper within the music. This particular song was more full of upbeat energy, instantly letting Kate feel more confident about playing it. The feeling shrouded her from the rest of the world. Only herself and that piano existed.

When she was done, Kate felt the music leave her. The final notes drifted into the air, lingering before disappearing into the memories of all who heard. Kate looked back at Luana and Mr. Woodward, remembering that they had been in the room with her. They gave her a small applause to which Kate turned pink.

"THAT WAS AWESOME! You…you play so well!" Luana complimented in awe.

"But I'm not really that…" Kate's voice trailed off.

"Are you kidding? You rock at the piano!" Luana told her.

"I must admit that it was one of the best performances I've ever seen." Mr. Woodward said.

"Oh it's getting late! We'll be expected back at base." Luana pointed out, grabbing Kate by the wrist and hoisting her up.

"Thanks for letting me play Mr. Woodward!" Kate called as Luana dragged her out the door.

They walked on their way back to base. Luana kept praising Kate's music, telling her it was phenomenal and unique. Kate though was thinking that it had been kinda fun to play music again like that. It wouldn't be so bad to sneak off and practice every once in a while. By herself of course. Playing in front of others still made her as nervous as heck.

Upon arriving to the base, everyone started to clap. Why were they clapping? What was going on?

"That was brilliant!"

"Great performance!"

"I had no idea you had it in you!"

"Look! Even Ollie liked it!"

Kate blinked, too confused and stunned to reply to everyone.

"See…" Luana started to say. "I KNOW you don't like playing music in front of others and it was hard just to do it for me. But…I thought you should at least have the support of your teammates."

"How on earth did you…?" Kate tried to question.

"I was in on this too." Becca confessed. "Luana voicemailed in before you started playing. We thought this was a good idea. So I recorded the song as you played and then….er…replayed it for the others here at base."

Kate glared at Luana.

"And uh…while we're being open here…there was a…um….glitch." Becca went on.

"Glitch?" Kate echoed.

"Yeah, I hit the wrong button and sent it to some operator buddies of mine…." Becca chuckled nervously.

"YOU WHAT?" Kate exclaimed, getting really impatient about it all.

"Heh…your look tells me I've got ten seconds to live." Becca gulped.

"Try five." Kate growled.

"Close enough!"

Kate chased after the operator, who was faster than anyone had expected. Despite the craziness, the other rangers were supporting it all and making bets who'd win.

"Come on Kate! You can get her!" Luana cheered.

"I'm coming after YOU next Luana!" Kate called.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

It was awhile before Kate grew exhausted from the chasing. She'd have to sneak something in their drinks the next morning. A little justified revenge never hurt.

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

Styler call from Rhythmi. Kate answered it promptly.

"KATE! You're a real virtuoso!" Rhythmi squealed. "I had no idea THAT much talent was in you!"

"What're you talking about?" Kate blinked, though she had a sneaking suspicion.

"There's a video passing through the union network of you playing the piano! Oh that was amazing!" Rhythmi sighed happily. "I'm so proud of you! And I bet Keith is too once he gets the link I sent him."

She may have been feeling proud but Kate was feeling something entirely different.

"Uh yeah….Rhyth? I'm gonna have to call you back." Kate hung up the call. "BECCA!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**A little chapter torture for Kate. Not exactly easy when a secret hobby gets out into the open. At least it's just music for her.**

**Wow…three updates in one day. I TOTALLY ROCK! Oh and keep looking for more updates. Not anymore today but soon!**


	16. Big City Brawl

**Welcome one and all to the carnival!**

…**.joking! We're back with a new chapter and more adventures with Kate! Read and review yall! Wait… "yall"? Am I western now?**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"It's been two darn weeks. And he STILL won't talk."

Ollie froze, uneasy from the stares of everyone at base. But the pressure still wouldn't get him to talk. He was probably getting used to it, little by little. Getting him to crack wasn't getting any easier.

"Well Professor Hastings is back from his trip and he's on his way over now. At the very least, we can figure out what this machine is." Barlow said. "Sparky, could you escort him over here?"

"Can do!" Kate gave a short salute and raced out the door, Chia at her side.

Vientown was having lovely weather. Calm, cool breezes on a mild day was Kate's perfect day. Taking in a deep breath, she hustled over to the Vien Forest. It wasn't long before she found someone coming her way. Seeing pictures from her report project in school, Kate knew it was Professor Hastings.

"No idea whose prank it was….putting a barrier on Lookout Ridge….put up no fight at all for me…" He mumbled, deep in thought.

"Excuse me?" Kate tried getting his attention. "Professor Hastings?"

"Hm? Eavesdropping are we?" Hastings snapped to attention.

"No, no! I was sent by Barlow to make sure you'd get to the base." Kate reassured.

"Well then let's hurry over. How about we jog over to the base?" The professor said.

Kate did so. It was a bit shocking to find that Hastings could keep up with her. But then again, not all elderly folk liked to sit around. And from what Kate heard, Hastings was like an impatient spoink, always bouncing with activity. It was a good quality to have, since he was helping to be in charge of the Union.

"We're back!" Kate called, entering the base alongside Professor Hastings.

Right away Hastings went to the machine, with Elaine beside him (and kept at close watch), for inspection. It was another long time before he was finished.

"I've seen this strange thing before…and very recently too…." Hastings said. "Hmmm….that's it! In Pueltown! There were several of these being carried by men. They struggled with it, probably due to the heavy weight, but I assumed they were new mailmoxes."

Mailboxes? How on earth could those things be mailboxes? Those headache inducing machines couldn't possibly be mailboxes. Not even close! Kate was just hoping Elaine could get straight to work and eliminate it.

"I'll need some people to investigate the situation right away." Hastings told Barlow.

"Then it shall be done." Barlow turned to the rangers. "Crawford, Luana and Kate. All three of you are going to Pueltown to check things out."

"Yes!" Luana cheered. "Mission time!"

"We won't let you down!" Kate called, as the trio shot straight out of the base.

"So do you know how to get to Pueltown?" Crawford asked as they started walking into the forest.

"Sort of. I learned the route in school." Kate answered.

"It's easy. The main path is straight on through. Even with the forest all burned up, it's impossible to get lost in here." Luana told her.

"_Impossible_? Says the girl who took the wrong path her third day in as a ranger." Crawford teased.

"I was new!" Luana whined as Crawford laughed.

Kate kept listening in on Crawford joking to Luana, who embarrassingly fired stuff back at him. She was happy to just be in the moment. The pokemon seemed to be slowly recovering from the fire, cheerful and carefree. Minus the charred areas of the woods, everything else was green and gorgeous. Nature was at its best today.

"Hey! Lookout ridge!" Luana ran ahead to the ledge.

"It's her favorite spot." Crawford told Kate. "The view's amazing and she likes to shout stuff just to hear the echoes."

Kate went over to see. Crawford had been right. Beyond the trees was the sprawling city of Pueltown and the sparkling ocean. In the distance was a tower construction. Everything looked like a scene from a movie or a video game of some sort.

"TALK OLLIE! TAAAAALLLLLKKKKKK!"

Kate fell backwards, landing on the ground. Luana's loud voice bounced off, causing a mass of echoes to follow. Crawford snickered as he helped Kate back up to her feet.

"Better warn Sparky the next time you do that." Crawford joked.

"Oops! Sorry." Luana sweatdropped. "I was just a bit mad that Ollie still won't talk."

"He will. Give it time." Kate said.

"Either way, that felt good to get off my chest!" Luana sighed, happy with herself.

"Take a look at that tower." Crawford pointed to the construction site. "They say it'll be the peace symbol of Almia."

"I entered their contest to think up a name! Echo tower was my suggestion!" Luana piped up.

"Not bad. But I chose something better." Crawford bragged.

"Like what?" Luana and Kate questioned.

"The Tower of Mystery."

….

"The Tower of MYSTERY?" Kate blinked.

"It's just a tower. What's so mysterious about it?" Luana rolled her eyes.

"Well that's the mystery!" Crawford told them as the three went back to walking.

As they walked on farther, they tried to come up with more names. Harmonious Tower, Almia's Pride, Top of the World, Pueltown's Tower, Prankster's Point…lots of stuff bounced around. But just as they were going to debate whether the tower's name should be of peace or puns, a familiar noise filled the air.

"Dammit…" Kate thought, feeling as though the headache punched its way back into her skull.

"Yep. It's those machines alright. And it sounds like there's more than one." Crawford said.

"That would explain why my head wants to explode right now." Kate mentally cursed.

"THAT'S the noise? It's so terrible!" Luana shuddered.

"Move out!"

They dashed into the town. Upon arriving, the noises grew louder (and Kate's headache worsened). Pokemon were acting as if under a trance like back in Marine Cave. But unlike how they acted just crazy and zombie like back then, these pokemon were acting more mean and vicious.

"Ohhhh….its worse than I thought…" Luana whimpered, staring at the pokemon with wide-eyes.

"Well we're here to help." Crawford put an arm around her shoulder. "These stupid machines will be taken care of no problem."

"Rangers! Thank Arceus you're here!"

A man walked up to them. Weird skitty-pink hair, sunglasses, tropical flower shirt and goofy sandals….was he some kind of tourist?

"Name's Brook. I run the drawbridge on the north side of the city. But that's way beside the point here." He started to say.

There goes the tourist theory. Still strange he dressed that way though.

"Point is, the pokemon are acting really weird. What has become of them?" Brook went on. "I saw these weird men put these mailboxes out on the street and now the pokemon are freaking out. Do you think maybe they don't like mailboxes or something?"

"Ah….they're not mailboxes, Brook." Crawford sweatdropped.

"These machines are controlling pokemon!" Luana blurted out. "And we have to do something before its too late!"

"Mission Stop the Machines is in effect!" Kate shouted, full of energy despite her massive pain.

"Brook, how many of these things are there?" Crawford asked.

"I saw five. Three on the west side, one just around the corner and another down by the docks." Brook replied.

"Split up! Kate, handle the one here and by the east docks. Luana and I will get the west ones." Crawford instructed.

"Sure." Kate accepted.

Hey wait…why did Luana and Crawford get to be a team on this? Too late to ask. They were already off to take care of business. Kate found said machine, though at close range was giving Kate one heck of a migraine. Luckily, she remembered a bibarel in the Vien forest close to the exit. With a small dash back, a speedy capture and a race back, Kate managed to blow up the cursed machine with ease.

"One down, three to go." Kate smiled.

"_To the harbor!"_ Chia seemed ready for action today, though suffering a headache of her own from the machines.

Kate went over to the harbor. She normally loved the harbor; having been to Fall City's a few times with her family. But it was getting hard to concentrate thanks to the machines causing chaos. Judging on how the pain throbbed, Kate could tell she was getting close. There were two ways to go. One was blocked off by a barricade of hypnotized pokemon. And then there was the stairs, guarded by an electric fence.

"_Let me take care of this!"_ Chia sparked up.

She leapt into the air, gathering power before releasing it in a single burst of energy. The fence took the hit. Just seconds after, a little boom was heard. The fence then opened right up, allowing safe access through.

"And here I thought we'd need to climb over it." Kate grinned.

"_Nonsense!"_ Chia climbed back on Kate's shoulders.

"EEEEEEEK! HELP!"

Kate ran up the stairs to see what the commotion was. Kate found a bunch of pokemon were circling….Melody?

"Hold on Melody!" Oh great….Brook was there too. "SUPER BROCK JUMP!"

Sure Brook made it inside with his 'special move'. Now he was stuck too. And he seemed to realize the same thing as well. Kate groaned, knowing she'd have to help. Looking around, Kate found the strange machine nearby. But….it was blue? Kate checked the styler to see this particular machine would need to be destroyed via electric attack.

"Chia?" Kate smirked.

"No problem!" Chia got off and fired a thunderbolt at the machine.

The machine sputtered for a quick moment. And it exploded, as expected, and set the pokemon free from their trance. Melody and Brook were set free from the circle of pokemon and came over to Kate (who felt the headache die down a little).

"You're Issac's friend!" Melody pointed at Kate.

"Yep. How is your brother?" Kate asked, happy to see the girl in high spirits after that accident.

"He works for some mechanic company. But since he's never home, I've become Melody's second brother." Brook responded.

Right…

"I saw some bad guys heading father down the harbor!" Melody told Kate.

"Thanks Melody!" Kate started to run back down the stairs.

She turned the corner, heading down the path that pokemon had been previously blocking. Getting closer, Kate felt another headache coming on. Had to be another one of those stupid machines. Pressing on, Kate followed the strange noise and pain to the dock yards. She crept behind crates and carefully looked around the area.

"Hey we've got rangers snooping around the city!"

"Yeah they're wrecking our gigaremo units! No good rangers…"

Kate ducked behind a giant crate, peeking at the scene. There were several guys in black and purple uniforms. One of them had his outfit but altered slightly; seemed like the leader of the group. All of them surrounded a strange machine, this one in yellow.

"Well maybe if we didn't take so long on assembly…"

"Hey these things are heavy!"

"We did score some results from the experiment. The bosses will be pleased."

"Let's ditch this place without getting into trouble."

Gigaremo? Was that what those things were called? But what was it about the experiment? Something was incredibly off about these people.

"Should I call the others?" Kate thought. "Nnnnggg….they might not get here in time. What if these creeps get away? I better handle this myself then.

With a nod to pachirisu, Kate stepped out into the open.

"So what's this 'experiment' I hear of? Care to explain?" She questioned with a hint of sarcasm.

The guys turned around with shock and terror.

"Ranger!"

"We'll have you know that we're Dim Sun!"

"We're a criminal syndicate that dreams for world domination and wear fashionable uniforms!"

The fashionable part was definitely debatable.

"We put these Gigaremo machines around Pueltown for our experiment! To see if it'll let us control pokemon like puppets!"

"And it totally works!"

Control pokemon? It was….it was….

"That's sick!" Kate exclaimed.

The leader of the troop seemed very irritated at the others.

"Idiots! Why did you tell her all that?" He snapped.

"Ack! Sorry!"

"We're way too nice!"

"She's using her ranger powers of to make us talk!"

"I bet she's just after us cause our uniforms are so darn cool!"

Again, that was debatable.

"Let me make up for it! Rattata! Attack her!"

Two seconds after the order, four rattata swarmed around Kate. Wasting no time, Kate got her styler ready and captured the rattata. Was it supposed to be a challenge? Hardly any effort was used on her part.

"We under-estimated you ranger! Go toxicrogunk!"

A toxicrogunk leapt in front of Kate, ready to pound her. But Kate was ready and went straight for capturing. Chia helped out greatly by shocking the pokemon in place. The capture was a lot longer and tougher than to be expected. Of course nothing could beat Kate! When she was finished, the Dim Sun members gaped.

"Retreat!" The leader ordered. "But get the gigaremo! We'd be punished worse if it wasn't taken back!"

Four of the grunts lifted the gigaremo, struggling to carry it out of the docks. Kate was about to give chase when she felt something slam on her head. She was knocked to her knees.

"I did it! I hit her boss!"

"Nice job! Where'd you find a metal chair anyways?"

Oh you've got to be kidding. Kate groaned but leapt back up to her feet. She chased the members but they already boarded a boat, sailing away. Damn it! They were getting away!

"Kate!"

Crawford, Luana and Brock ran up to the pier. While the rangers stopped by Kate, Brock kept running. Why was…..uh oh….

"SUPER BROCK JUMP!"

Brock dove into the ocean and was swimming after the bad guys. What a guy.

"His sandals are clenched between his teeth…" Luana sweatdropped.

"Hey Sparky, you alright?" Crawford asked.

"Yeah…can't believe I couldn't catch them..." Kate sighed.

"Hey, you tried. Besides, we heard those crooks shouting that they hit you with a metal chair…" Crawford told her.

"It hurt but no real damage." Kate waved it off, feeling lots better by the second.

At least the headache that machine caused was gone. It was then Brook got out of the water, panting uncontrollably.

"They're…way…too fast…" He gasped.

"You know guys, I've never been on a mission this dangerous before." Luana admitted to the rangers. "But it was super fun and exciting. We'll have lots to report about when we get back to base!"

"No kidding!" Crawford laughed. "I'll fill them in through voice-mail on our way back."

They started to make their way back home.

….home? Kate was surprised she thought of base as home. Yet….it was home. Being with her friends felt like home to her. Home was where the heart is. And hers was in Vientown with the others.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

…**.yeah maybe a little cheesy at the end. **

***sweatdrop***

**But this story took an entirely different direction than I thought it would to be honest. Didn't think the rangers would split up like that or Kate would be hit by a metal chair. That's writing for ya.**

**Thanks for reading! Next chapter update is on its way!**


	17. Making Ollie Talk

**Short chapter this time around. **

***relaxes in nice weather outside while writing***

**Hope you guys are enjoying the story as well as enjoying the nice weather outside! Hence why laptops are invented (yeah Im not as good as Crawford am I?) Read, review, enjoy!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"So guess what I did today?"

Elaine and Hastings had been taking apart the Gigaremo machine (much to the mechanic and Kate's relief). Crawford tried getting Ollie to talk again as well as cheer up Luana, who was a bit sad she couldn't help Kate catch the thieves. Everyone was busy some way or another. Kate was ready to settle in for the night. But not before a little phone call.

"Discovered info on new pokemon hypnotizing machines and stopped some members of the new organization Dim Sun?" Keith guessed.

"How do you know?" Kate asked.

"It's in the news." Keith smirked. "I see someone's been busy in Almia."

"I bet you're keeping busy too." Kate said.

"Sort of. There's been some issues up in Wintown. Since they're temporarily short on rangers, I've been sent up there for a bit." Keith told her. "But it's WAY too cold for me."

"At least you won't transform up there." Kate pointed out.

"Thank Arceus for that, I suppose…" Keith mumbled.

"FIRE!"

Kate heard the familiar call coming from the kitchen, followed by a fire extinguisher. Must be Luana's turn to cook. Probably should've let someone else do it since the Professor was staying the night.

"What was that?" Keith was stunned.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Kate shrugged. "Just a sign we're ordering pizza tonight."

"Remind me to pass on dinner if I ever come visit your base." Keith sweatdropped.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Luckily the next morning brought something better to eat. Big Bertha stopped by with a ton of milk puddings. And Kate had to agree. It was sweet, creamy and rich. One of the best puddings she's ever eaten. Of course she wasn't alone in that statement.

"BARLOW! Do you not feed your hostages?"

Kate jumped a little at the sudden shout. But it was Barlow who was faced with the wrath of Bertha.

"Of course we do!" Barlow threw up his hands in defense. "But he hasn't cooperative at all. One spoon of pudding is plenty for him right now."

"Hush. That's no way to treat your hostages." Bertha turned to Ollie. "So your name's Ollie, right? Eat right up, it's good for you."

Bertha managed to coax the guy into eating spoonfuls of pudding. Ollie looked guilty, as if he didn't want to eat anything. But he knew not to defy Bertha. With a small serving, he finally stopped and looked down at the floor.

"I….I…."

Everyone (minus the preoccupied Hastings and Elaine) stared at him.

"I DON'T DESERVE THIS!" Ollie cried.

"He talked!" Kate exclaimed.

"Figured that on your own, Sparky?" Crawford chuckled.

"The Vien forest….that fire….it was my fault! I was carrying those gigaremos when the chemicals spilled all over! It made one gigaremo explode and started the fire! I couldn't stop it at all!" Ollie confessed quickly.

He took a deep breath, wobbling a little.

"I didn't…even know those guys…" He went on, his voice low. "One was a friend from childhood though. He…he got me the gig for extra money and I accepted. No idea what those gigaremos were or what the team was about…

"Hey its ok…" Luana patted him on the shoulder.

"No…no its not. I'm so sorry….I could've cost some lives….like Kate's sister…" Ollie started sobbing. "That milk pudding tasted so good…..but I didn't deserve it…not at all…"

"Well now how is he supposed to wipe the tears if he's tied up?" Bertha questioned Barlow.

"Sparky!" Barlow called.

"I'm on it!" Kate ran over to Ollie.

She tried pulling on the ropes and getting the knots undone. But leave it to Barlow and Crawford to tie him up good. In the end, all Kate did was make the rope tighter…

"Eeep! You're choking him!" Luana shrieked. "Let me help!"

The two girls struggled to get the ropes unbound. But if you're bound by a tight smidgeon, then you'd know its hard to get the ropes off. It took twenty minutes and Elaine to use her tools to get Ollie free.

"FREE AT LAST!" The guy cried out.

"Yeah don't overdo it." Luana sweatdropped.

"Alright people, back to work! Thank you Bertha for the pudding." Barlow said. "Crawford. You and I are on patrol. Luana, stay here to help where needed. Kate, I'm letting you get the day off thanks to your hard work as of late. Ollie you're free to go. People, lets do our best!"

Everyone was off doing whatever. Kate walked out of the base and was about to make her way down to Chicole village. About time she visited her family again.

"Hey…Sparky? Or is it Kate?"

Kate turned to see Ollie walking up to her, hesitant.

"Whichever you're comfortable with." Kate smiled.

"Um…could you take me down to Chicole village too? There's someone I need to see…my m…friend…" Ollie requested timidly.

"Sure. Let's go!" Kate accepted.

The walk was a decent length but it certainly seemed longer. Ollie was a bit distracted, something too heavy on his mind to talk to Kate who tried to start a conversation. The whole experience at the base could've been too much for him. Ollie would need some time.

"SISSY!"

One step into Chicole village and Kate was greeted by Megan, who jumped into her arms.

"It's been too long!" Megan said, extremely happy.

"I came to see you and also help a friend." Kate gestured to Ollie. "Ollie, this is my sister, Megan."

"Nice to meet you." Ollie politely greeted.

"Hi!" Megan said.

But her attention was soon focused on Chia. Megan grabbed her tail and squeezed her.

"A pachirisu! She's so cute!" Megan squealed.

"Her name's Chia." Kate told her. "But you might want to let go…"

Chia wasn't exactly pleased with the tight enclosure. She was just about to let Megan have it when Kate snagged her back. The electric outburst managed to singe Kate all over.

"Oops." Megan stared, curiously.

"How about we go back to the errand?" Kate sighed, brushing the ash off. "We'll meet you back at home in a few minutes, Megan."

"Okay!" Megan cheerfully skipped away.

Ollie and Kate made their way through town, to a house not far off from Kate's family. Despite Ollie getting tenser each step, they entered the home. A middle aged woman turned to face them.

"Mom…" Ollie whispered.

MOM! What in the…?

"Mom, I…I'm sorry. All I do is cause worry. You didn't even get a phone call or any news about me in, well, awhile. I'm…." Ollie took a deep breath. "I'm home, mom."

The woman teared up. She moved forward in one swift movement and wrapped her arms around him.

"All I wanted…was to hear you say 'I'm home, mom'. I couldn't care less where you've been as long as you came back. Welcome home son." The mom cried.

Kate, sensing this was a time for the two of them to be alone, left the house. She wasn't sure why Ollie didn't just tell her about his mom in the first place. But she knew one thing. She wouldn't put her family through that same scenario.

With high hopes, Kate went to visit her family.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**And we have a touching ending! Yay for happy endings!** **But of course I know what you guys are concerned with. xD I won't put you guys through waiting like Ollie did to his mom. Next chapter will release very soon!**


	18. Bonus FAQ

**Lately, I've been getting a lot of responses. Both from registered users, anonymous! And man I am so darn proud of you guys! You guys relate to the characters and understand whats going on. But I have gotten several questions though private messages (and some reviews & my own friends who review my work) asking about the characters, stories and such. And thus brings us to this FAQ. **

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**So whats up with Luana and Crawford? **

_Heh heh heh…I sense some marriage in your future….._

_GOTCHA! Ok, ok! All joking aside here, there is a little something special going on isn't there? Crawford may have certain feelings towards her but Luana's a bit too scatter-brained to really get it. Now that you mention it….Kate really doesn't see it either now does she?_

**Where do you find a metal chair in a pier?**

_Probably one of those 'teaser' questions. But I answer it because it'll answer a LOT of questions in the future. It's pokemon. __Anything__ can happen._

**What happened to the hat ghost?**

_Popular question after I posted my last chapter. But I've decided to ix-nay on the partner pokemon. It'll be better to just focus on Chia for the story, give her a little more character. Same with other rangers, including Keith. So sorry you won't see the other pokemon! But its all for development._

**Why does Kate keep having nightmares?**

_Ah but that is all part of the story! Something big is coming up for her. It's a deeper problem with a few twists in there. What happens next? You'll just have to wait now won't you? _

**What was the accident Kate mentioned?**

_Again, part of the story. It'll be revealed pretty soon though. The only detail I can spare is it does relate to those nightmares Kate's been having._

**How's Keith's curse going to get broken?**

_Can't spoil the surprise just yet now can we?_

**What is up with those updates? They're wicked fast!**

_I write a lot, have a deep passion for SoA and planned this story well in advance. And since I write in the summer time, I do have more free time. I aim to at __least__ post one chapter a day. Sometimes I update more because I have more time, more creativity or to make up for a future day where I can't update. My only for-sure day that's unavailable for updates would be Saturday._

**Do you need a co-author?**

_No I do not. Sorry but a friend here on the fanfic site already helps me with slight edits, plot reviews and overall assistance. The operator, Becca, is a tribute to her actually._

**Got any plans concerning Keith and Kate?**

…

_*smiles deviously*_

_Oh I've got plans. I'll make sure the reader's wait will be well worth it. And it's possible they might not be alone. Or that the road to romance could be….dangerous. But you'll know soon enough whats really going on…._

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Thanks for reading! Sorry its not a chapter like you want but it answers all the important questions (plus a few others) that you guys ask me. Next chapter update is on its way, coming to a theater….computer near you!**


	19. Catching up

***sleeping on couch with writing notes scattered all over***

***sleep-holds up a sign saying 'Read, review, enjoy!'***

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Hm? Now what is this"

Kate looked over at Hastings and Elaine as they dug something out of the machine. It was a diamond shaped stone. The stone was as black as coal and had this weird purplish glow to it. Kate could feel it….this was the thing causing those headaches.

"Elaine, any idea what this tiny black stone might be?" Hastings asked, inspecting it.

"Never seen anything like it." She replied but soon wore a familiar star-eyed look. "But let's smash it with a hammer! Or drill some holes through it! Or chainsaw through it! Or…"

Crawford and Barlow got a hold of the mechanics arms, hoping her excitement wouldn't get ahead of her. Luanna stood by, on her guard.

"No, no! Anything but that!" The professor insisted. "I'll take it back to the Union to have this examined by my research team. Also we'll need to hold a meeting concerning the Gigaremo threat. I'll propose a meeting at the Union for tomorrow."

"Need any help?" Barlow asked.

"I will. I need you to help preparing so you'll need to come with me." Hastings answered.

"Yes sir!" Barlow turned to the team. "Crawford, mind the base while I'm out."

Hastings left the base, Barlow with him. The moment they were gone, Crawford and Luana had mischievous smiles creeping up their faces.

"Now that the boss is gone…" Crawford chuckled.

"We can have a little fun!" Luana sang

"Party time!" Elaine whooped.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate had to admit. Her friends really knew how to throw a party. Pizza, music, pranks, pajamas….all the works. Everyone was having a good time. Although there was a heated argument over the movie choice (Robot Jigglypuff Invasion or Horror Dance Party 4). Kate hated to be the tie-breaker. So thank goodness her styler rang when it did.

"Who's calling, Sparky?" Elaine asked.

"It's Keith." Kate replied.

"Awwww! We haven't seen Red in a long time!" Luana said.

"I know! It'd be great to have him here!" Crawford agreed.

"Hey why not put him speaker?" Becca offered.

The operator took Kate's styler and hooked it up to the computer. She typed in a few things as the monitor flickered to life.

"Hi Keith!" Kate greeted. "Heads up, you're on speaker. Vientown rangers wanted to say hi."

"What up?" Keith said. "It's been awhile!"

"You haven't changed at all!" Elaine told him.

"Where are you stationed?" Luana asked.

"Ringtown. Temporarily staying in Wintown due to some difficulties though." Keith responded. "But there seems to be a lot more action in Almia from what I've heard. Got any news on those machines?"

"Incoming call from someone named Rhythmi!" Becca called out.

"Can we connect her in?" Kate asked.

"Of course!" Becca went straight to work, pulling the split screen with Rhythmi in a matter of seconds.

"Rhythmi! Good to see you! I've got you on screen with Keith and the Vientown rangers." Kate started to introduce everyone. "We've got Crawford, Luana, Elaine and our operator, Becca."

"It's so nice to meet you guys!" Rhythmi cheerfully greeted. "And hello to you to red-head."

Keith rolled his eyes.

"So she's a friend of yours?" Crawford asked.

"Back from ranger school." Kate answered.

"We three were inseparable! Three musketeers!" Rhythmi added.

The other started to ask Rhythmi and Keith questions, catch up on news, stuff of the sorts. Kate noticed the popcorn bowl was low. Good time to dash out for a second to grab some more. She got up and made her way into the kitchen.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"So Keith…"

Crawford smirked. Keith wasn't sure he liked what would be asked next.

"How's the long distance relationship with Sparky working out?"

Keith turned as red as his hair. It was taking a whole lot of control not to transform.

"I DON'T LIKE HER!" Keith objected.

"Admit it. You have feelings for her!" Rhythmi said.

"I DO NOT!" Keith argued.

"Then why do you keep calling her?" Elaine quizzed.

"Cause she's my best friend! What's so wrong about staying in touch with friends?" Keith replied, irritated.

"Ah but you don't call me as much." Rhythmi pointed out.

"To be fair, you're usually too busy to talk." Keith mumbled.

"Whoa…wait a sec…so is Red crushing on Sparky or something…?" Luana asked, confused.

"I most certainly AM NOT!" Keith yelled.

"He totally is." Rhythmi said.

"Shut up!" Keith groaned.

"Why not just admit it now and save yourself trouble, Red?" Crawford teased. "We could get started on the wedding arrangements if you just confess…"

"CRAWFORD!"

The embarrassment was really pushing him. Luckily he kept his room window open and let the freezing air blow straight in. It helped a lot for keeping the body heat down. But how long would it hold up against the others humiliating him?

"Oh knock it off. He's not the only one with romance issues." Becca said, looking at a certain afro ranger.

"Yeah, Crawford." Elaine grinned, scheming. "Maybe you'd like to share something?"

"There is nothing to share." Crawford muttered, looking down to hide his own reddened face.

"Um…whats going on?" Luana blinked, puzzled by everything.

"Nothing. Just go check on Sparky." Crawford suggested, annoyed.

Luana shrugged and went to go find Kate. Keith was relieved that Crawford was now the torture subject. But even more relieved to know Kate wasn't in the room.

"Just you wait Elaine. The moment you find a guy, I'll be heckling YOU no problem." Crawford told her.

"Same goes for you too, Rhythmi." Keith smirked.

"So not scared of you." Rhythmi huffed.

Luana and Kate came back into the room, two bowls full of popcorn.

"Sorry it took so long. I wanted to make extra." Kate apologized, setting the bowls on the counter.

"….did Luana make one of these bowls?" Becca tested before reaching for some.

"Nope." Luana cheerfully replied.

"Then we won't be poisoned, thank arceus." Elaine sighed.

Everyone talked for a little while before Rhythmi had to leave to review some work. Keith eventually left as well, feeling tired. He ended the communications.

"That was great…" Keith yawned.

Kate seemed to be doing well in Vientown. And with friends like those guys with her, she was bound to get even better. He was happy for her. Even though Fiorre was a great region to be in with plenty of action, Keith did wish he'd be back in Almia with Kate. It'd be fun to go on adventures together, hang out…like old times.

With Wave sleeping at his side, Keith fell into the dreamland himself. All night long, he found himself dreaming about Kate with her hair down.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Morning came, everyone ready to fall asleep right on the breakfast table. All except Luana who seemed unusually perky. She was showing Kate an article about top rangers.

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

Kate's styler. She took the call.

"Voicemail! Voicemail! Hey Sparky, its Barlow."

"Morning Barlow. What's up?" Kate asked.

"Sorry its early but we've got a bit of a situation on our hands. Could you come to Pueltown right away?" Barlow requested.

"Of course. I'll be there as soon as I can." Kate replied.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Yawn….what up guys?**

**Your next chapter will be delivered via package very soon. And the….message…will self…destruct…. **

***falls back asleep***


	20. Under the Surface

**WARNING: This next chapter may shock and amaze you. It might be so epic that you will go blind from over-exposure to pure awesome. Those of you with weak constitutions may want to leave the stands. Well its too late for you, sissies, so it back down! Now read! READ LIKE THE WIND! And don't forget to review! I hope you enjoy your chapter…if you dare to read….which you will….mua ha ha ha….**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Finding Barow in Pueltown had been no problem. He was right at the front entrance waiting for her.

"Mornin!" He greeted. "Alright, here's the situation. North Bridge is stuck open, with no traffic able to get through at all. Professor Hastings needs to get to the Union and the bridge is the only way. Well….there is flying on a staraptor…but he doesn't like it much, so its land travel."

"Wait, if you can't get to the bridge then, where'd you stay?" Kate asked.

"Another ranger base. It was too late to walk back to Vientown." Barlow replied. "Anyways, you better see the bridge.

Both burst into a run. Now that those horrid machines were gone, Kate could get a glance of the city. It didn't seem to be a city. Granted it was big plus the tall buildings screamed 'city'. But it was the greenery that was spread out, pokemon playing and the happy citizens. Kind of peaceful. Of course the city was small scale compared to other cities across the world. Rhythmi lived in Celadon, which was pretty big. And then there was that Castelia City which was far off.

"Professor!"

In no time, they reached the bridge where the impatient Professor Hastings waited.

"Good morning Kate. As you can see, the drawbridge is stuck open. And the bridge's operator is nowhere to be seen" Hastings explained.

"His name's Brook. He's misleaded but…" Barlow started to say.

"Oh I remember him! I met him when I was destroying Gigaremos with Luana and Crawford." Kate told him.

A woman walked up to the group.

"Pardon me…but I saw Brook down by the docks." She said.

"Down to the docks it is." Barlow turned to Kate. "Lead the way!"

Kate knew the way down to the docks. Straightforward route with, this time, no mind controlled pokemon or idiots in weird outfits. Around the pier, Kate started searching for the pink haired bridge guy. As it turned out, he was in the same place where he and the other rangers met Kate after the Dim Sun grunts fled.

"Yo Brook!" Barlow called out. "Any explanation as to why your bridge is stuck open?"

"Believe you me, I want to see that bridge lowered just as much as you do." Brook sighed. "But the key for doing that is missing."

"Missing?" Kate asked.

"Stuck in the bottom of the sea. Must've slipped out when I went after those bad guys." Brook told them.

"I get it." Barlow said, frowning as though in deep thought.

It was silent for a minute or two. Kate was wondering how they'd get that key back. And why couldn't there be a spare for emergencies such as this?

"Sparky, you good at swimming?" Barlow questioned.

"I'm decent at it." Kate shrugged.

"Perfect! You'll go get the key!" Barlow grinned.

Wait….what?

"Hastings let me see one of his inventions earlier but I'll let you keep it. He won't mind." Barlow handed her some sort of mouth-piece. "It's an Aqua-lung. Let's you breathe underwater."

What the heck was going on? When she ever agree to….?

"I'll handle the boat situation. Thanks to the Gigaremos, there won't be boats coming in or going out anywhere. But a good captain friend of mine will help. He can take us out to the spot I lost that key." Brook explained.

But….but…..

"Great! Let's go get that boat!"

Yeah…one problem.

Kate may be average at swimming above the water….but she's never gone under the water before….

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"So…do I admit I'm a chicken? Or jump right in?"

Kate felt the boat speed through the waves, salty wind in the air. Brook was talking to the captain inside the boat. Barlow wanted to stay on land, weirdly enough. Maybe he got seasickness or something. But Chia was staying there too since she couldn't come out onto the ocean. Meanwhile the ranger about to dive was having second thoughts on her current situation. She never went underwater before. How was she supposed to go under? Was swimming underwater different? What about opening your eyes? Does water leak into your eyeballs?

"Kate! You can't skip out on this now!" Kate mentally scolded herself. "What would Barlow and Hastings think if you didn't do this for them?"

She looked at the styler on her belt. Kate was tempted to call someone….just to talk things out…maybe get some support. But…would she seem like a total coward? Be made fun of non-stop? Kate was known for being bold and this was a big step backwards. Was there anyone she could trust with this? …there was _one_ person. With a gulp, Kate started to call.

"Oh hey Kate! What's up?" Keith answered.

Judging from the setting, Kate could see he was running through the mountainside. Seemed to be in a rush.

"Hey. Um…think you can help me?" Kate nervously asked.

"Well I'm in the middle of an emergency…" Keith responded. "Could you make it quick?"

"Er…I uh….I…I don't know how to swim underwater!" Kate confessed.

Keith stared at her with a surprised face.

"…that's it?" He blinked.

"I was pushed into a mission to go retrieve a key at the bottom of the ocean. There's this aqua-lung that'll help me breathe but I've never been under the water before so I'm worried I'll mess things up! If I don't do this, then Barlow and Hastings can't get to the Union and I'll look like a big loser in front of them and…" Kate started panic-rambling.

"Calm down! Relax!" Keith stopped her. "It's not that hard. You'll be perfectly safe down there so long as you wear that…er…aqua-thingy you mentioned. Swimming under water's easy once you get used to it."

"You sure I won't be….um…" Kate tried to say.

"Don't freak out and you'll do fine." Keith reassured.

"Thanks Keith." Kate sighed, relieved. "Sorry I called in the middle of an emergency…"

"Nah, you're more important." Keith told her. "Good luck out there."

Kate ended the call just as the boat was reaching a stop. Brook came out of the boat and over to the ranger.

"It was around here." Brook said. "Heads up, there are some strong currents around the area."

Kate nodded and put the aqua-lung on. She didn't feel nervous about diving underwater anymore. Keith's encouragement made her feel stronger, like she could dive down to the deepest oceanic trench in the world. Kate could do this. She would come out victorious with that key.

With a high-flying jump, Kate cannon-balled into the cold ocean waves.

Slowly opening her eyes, Kate found everything to be alright. The aqua-lung functioned flawlessly. She was swimming, hovering in the water. And the scenery…oh arcues…so beautiful! Coral plants and water pokemon everywhere. Being underwater wasn't bad at all! It could be fun!

"Mission first, exploring later." Kate reminded herself.

The key wasn't hard to locate. Sunlight reflected light off the key, bouncing onto Kate's face. She swam right over and was about to pick it up.

SLAM!

Kate was thrown into one of the rock walls. With a groan, the ranger looked back at the spot where she was knocked off. There was a sharpedo, looking extremely ticked off. Those pokemon were territorial. Obviously Kate stepped…no…swam into that one's area.

"Hey wait!" Kate called out to the shark pokemon.

The sharpedo had seen the key and ate it up. But it had trouble, seeming as if it was getting sick from the metal key. Now the sharpedo was starting to swim off.

"Come back!" Kate thrust forth from the wall, gaining an extra boost forward.

Sharpedos were also known to be fast swimmers. Imagine a pokemon swimming in the water its entire life versus a girl who had just dove under the water for the first time. Not very good odds were they?

"Darn thing…" Kate mumbled. "Why won't you stop?"

From the corner of her eye, Kate saw movement. There was a stream of rushing water next to her that lead into a ring-shaped valley with more of those streams. Had to be the currents Brook was talking about. And that was the perfect method for sharpedo chasing. With a swim forward, Kate caught herself into the current and was sliding forward.

"WOOOOOOO!" She screamed, having a whole lot of fun.

Kate got current to current, slowly gaining speed on the sharpedo. As she flew closer, Kate was preparing her styler for capture. At the perfect distance, she let loose. The sharpedo had no clue of the capture or Kate sneaking up on it, making this capture easier. Kate almost wished for a more challenging pokemon to come along.

"Hey there buddy. Mind if I see whats making you so sick?" Kate coaxed.

The sharpedo growled but started to moan. Kate inspected its mouth. No key. Which meant it was….ewwwww…..

"Aw man. This is so gross…" Kate reached her hand into the sharpedo and down its mouth.

This was not one of her ranger highlights. So disgusting, feeling bits of food still in there. Not to mention the fear that the sharpedo could clench down on her arm at any given moment. Kate went deeper into the mouth, down into the throat, feeling her face get greener and the urge to barf growing. After shuddering from the sliminess and hoping she wouldn't puke, Kate felt the key! It was lodged right in there. Poor sharpedo was probably choking on it.

"Ok, hang on tight…" Kate said to the pokemon.

With a twist, the key was dislodged and Kate pulled her hand out of the sharpedo, the key inside it. Extremely horrifying to see blood all over the key and her arm…but the deed was done. Thank arcrus she didn't need to go further in. Sharpedo instantly perked up and swam off, as if nothing happened.

Kate had gone where no ranger had ever gone before…and dare not go back in again.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Yes you found it! You found…why is my key covered in blood…?"

"Don't ask."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate arrived back on land, with Chia extremely happy to see her. The pachirisu didn't hesitated to hug her shoulders.

"_Don't leave me again! I was sooooo alone!" _Chia seemed to be in one of those 'clingy' moods again.

"There's blood stains on your arm…" Barlow pointed out.

"Dove into a sharpedos throat." Kate muttered. "You don't want the rest of the details…"

Washing it off in the water on the way back to land didn't seem to do the trick. Kate would have to use soap and hot water later to scrub it out. Though the feeling of reaching inside a sharpedos body wasn't close to being worn off.

"You are really starting to impress me, Sparky." Barlow said, looking proud. "Mission Clear!"

Kate did the pose, though only half her energy went in. She was already exhausted (and sore) from swimming. At least her valiant efforts earned her a promotion. That was worth going in there.

"Let's head back to the North Bridge!" Brook called out.

He led the way as Kate and Barlow followed behind.

"So how was it underwater?" Barlow asked.

"Aside from that one moment, it was awesome. I loved swimming down there!" Kate replied. "Dunno why I hadn't dived underwater before today."

"Wait a second. This was your first time going underwater?" Barlow was stunned at the remark.

"Yep." Kate answered.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Barlow questioned. "Weren't you even nervous going down there?"

"Yeah but I got over it. Had to do complete the mission for you and Professor Hastings." Kate responded.

Barlow sighed.

"Well since we're being open here, I'll confess. The reason I stayed on land was because I can't swim."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**And thus another chapter ends! I didn't gross you guys out too much with the sharpedo incident did I? Heh heh heh…**

**Sharpedo will be coughing up your next update that's soon to come!**


	21. Just a Little Luck

**Well. I was up at midnight, unable to sleep. So I decide to try and draw the cover page for the fanfic! Something dramatic….beautiful….deep!**

…**when I realized I'm not the best artist. I settled for basic but classic romantic poses. And I remembered I still can't draw even ****that ****good. Even my cute chibi poses weren't doing justice for Keith and Kate. It's 1:30 am and I was stumped. My thought then? "Screw it. I'm going for colored sketches and upload in the morning." **

**Today, as I typed up a new chapter, I went to upload the coverpage. Guess what? My scanner broke…**

**But back to story, I hope you read, review and enjoy the latest addition to the chapter collection! I'll be getting a cover page onto this fanfic at ****som****e point!**

**Edit; sorry but there's a slight error somewhere (cant find it). The researchers name is Nage, not Nate**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Good to see you back, successful in your mission!...hm? Why is your arm…?"

The group arrived back at the bridge, greeted by Professor Hastings.

"From what I gathered, a sharpedo swallowed the key. And Spar…Kate had to retrieve it manually." Barlow answered.

Kate shivered at the memory.

"I see. Very bold of you to do what you did, Kate." Hastings nodded. "Keep the aqua-lung. Now that its properly tested, Nage can make more for other rangers."

…did he mean that she was the first to test that thing? AND it was possible that if it didn't work Kate was, quite literally, sunk? Well that was the cherry on top of the cake now wasn't it?

"Oh that's neither here nor there. Kate, lower the bridge!" Hastings instructed.

"Hold it! That's my job!" Brook objected. "You let me take care of things!"

Brook raced to the control booth nearby. Within a few seconds, the gears and metal joints started to creak. The drawbridge was gently lowered back into place! People were free to move across the bridge again! Kate followed Barlow and the Professor across the bridge. But about halfway there, a guy in an emerald green uniform met them.

"Whew! I'm glad to see you're safe and sound Professor!" He said, relieved. "It's unlike your impatient self to stay over somewhere else. You sure had me worried!"

"Murph! Who are you calling impatient?" Hastings huffed. "Ah but we have little time! Barlow, let's hurry!"

The two broke into a jog and crossed the bridge in no time. That left Kate and whatshisname behind.

"Uh…..and who am I…?" He mumbled.

"_Figures that we're left behind."_ Chia rolled her eyes.

The guy turned to face Kate.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Murph, in charge of PR for the Ranger Union." Murph held out his hand.

"I'm Kate and you probably don't want to shake hands right now…" Kate looked down at the blood-crusted arm.

"Yikes that's a doozy!" Murph jumped a little. "What'd you do anyways?"

"Retrieved the bridge key from a sharpedos throat. Oh the life of a ranger." Kate sweatdropped.

"Not all sunshine and rainbows is it?" Murph chuckled. "We better go get that checked out."

They walked off the bridge and into the park (which Murph pointed out was Altru Park). As they started moving forward, a familiar character appeared and took notice of them.

"Issac?" Kate said.

"Kate? Wow it's been awhile!" Issac came over. "I know we didn't really hang out much but its hard to forget you and Keith."

"You know this guy?" Murph asked.

"Yeah we graduated ranger school together." Kate replied.

"Kate was…..hey your arms injured!" Issac inspected her arm. "I'm seeing a deep cut on the upper area. Though some of the blood isn't yours…"

"Key in sharpedos throat. Had to get it out one way or another." Kate sighed.

Issac dropped her arm suddenly. Seemed like the genius figured it out. He was shocked and a little disgusted. Who could blame him?

"Let's go to my workplace nearby to bandage that up. You friend can come with too." Issac suggested.

Kate and Murph followed the mushroom-haired blondie around the park. Too bad they couldn't enjoy it. Seemed like a really relaxing place to chill out, play with pokemon…all that jazz. Issac led the group up a flight of stairs to the Altru company building doors.

"You work for ALTRU?" Kate exclaimed.

"Yep! Head researcher!" Issac happily told her.

They went inside and over to the reception counter. There was a first aid kit under the counter which Issac used. With careful work, Issac managed to clean off the blood.

"What the…?" He blinked.

"Something wrong?" Murph asked.

Issac, rather than responding, got out the tweezers. Kate felt a small pinch as Issac dug the tweezers into the cut. When they came back out, it dragged out a medium-sized pointed tooth.

"A sharpedo tooth?" Murph shrunk back.

"Kate probably scraped against the tooth, causing the cut, and pulled it right out, lodging inside her skin." Issac deducted. "Good thing it didn't get caught on the nerve muscles."

"Awesome! I am SO keeping it!" Kate held the tooth, admiring it.

"What are you going to do with a sharpedo tooth?" Murph asked, puzzled.

"Make it into a necklace. Like a good luck charm." Kate responded cheerfully.

Maybe reaching into a sharpedos throat wasn't all bad. Kate remembered Ranger Spencer tell her when she was little that a tooth from a tough pokemon was considered lucky. He had his own tooth from a Charizard. Kate had always wanted to get a tooth from a pokemon and keep it as a charm. Of course the right and natural way, without force or anything.

"Er yes…well the injury's not that bad. Just keep it wrapped till it heals." Issac said, finished wrapping Kate's arm in a bandage. "There's a very good chance it'll scar but it could have been much worse."

"Sweet! What other ranger has a battle scar?" Kate exclaimed.

"A few I know. But none from….er…what you've done." Murph replied.

"_That's for sure."_ Chia sweatdropped.

"Now that we're done, how about I show you around?" Issac offered.

Issac started to explain what Altru was all about as well as the business they were offering. He got to the back to explain the history that started with Doyle Hall, then Brighton Hall and the current founder, Blake Hall. Murph was intrigued but Kate was only pretending to listen, her mind racing at a thousand other thoughts a second.

"President!"

The secretaries scattered all over the place before filing up in a row. They stood at attention like soldiers. Through the double doors first came a strange-looking man with green hair. Almost like an older, sort of weird version of the Joker. Behind him was a man in a black suit, dark hair and sunglasses.

"What a coincidence! There's Blake Hall now!" Issac whispered.

"As you were, people. Can't leave our customers unattended." Blake nodded. "Remember, Almia's future is bright and full of hope!"

The secretaries did as told, going straight back to their spots. Blake noticed Issac and walked over to the group.

"Ah, Professor Issac. Your research is going well I assume?" Blake said. "Are you showing these rangers around?"

"Kate's an old friend from school. Since we ran into each other, I offered to show her around and also fix up her arm after a more recent mission." Issac explained.

"Bravo on your work, dear girl. I've admired rangers for what they've done. You're to be commended for the Almia region." Blake told Kate.

"Thanks sir." Kate politely replied.

"Sorry to cut the reunion short but Issac is needed upstairs again." Blake said.

"Yes President." Issac nodded. "See you around, Kate."

Issac, Blake and the green haired guy went into the elevator and disappeared from the room. Murph and Kate walked back out of the building.

"Woo! We got to meet the Altru president!" Murph cheered. "Maybe that tooth IS lucky."

"Told ya." Kate smirked.

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

Styler was getting a call. Kate flipped open communications.

"Voicemail! It's Barlow, here. We need you at the Union to help us with the Gigaremo meeting." Barlow said.

"Sure thing." Kate agreed.

"Oh and bring make sure Chia's ready for a target clear." Barlow reminded before shutting off contact.

"_Ready? I'm always ready."_ Chia nodded.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Welcome to the Ranger Union!"

Kate gasped in amazement and wonder as she stepped inside the building. It was bigger, even more awesome than she had imagined. Being inside the Union…what an honor! Keith would be so jealous!

"This is my workplace! Which means I'm back on professional work-mode now." Murph told her. "The meeting room's on the second floor and the door has a sign next to it that says 'meeting room'. Impossible to miss."

"Thanks Murph!" Kate ran for the stairs.

She charged on up and got to the second floor. Murph was right. Finding the meeting room was no problem whatsoever. The sign next to it was in a beautiful bronze (a very nice touch). Kate stepped inside, ready to tackle on the meeting. There was Barlow and Professor Hastings next to a blue Gigaremo (but….why no headache?). Other people were those Kate didn't know. Several were rangers though one with long green hair seemed familiar (at least her hair was beautiful, unlike that Joker replica back at Altru). Her styler was a different style. Another was a researcher but his nametag said Nate (yep…Mr. I didn't bother testing the aqua-lung so thanks for doing it for me) And then an elderly woman as well. She definitely seemed important.

"There ya are!" Barlow greeted, then turned to the elderly woman. "This is Spa…Kate, our prized rookie. She's the one who figured out how these Gigaremos should be stopped."

First thing Kate noticed was Barlow having trouble not using her nickname. But second was called her the 'prized' rookie. Kate was certainly feeling special.

"You want a demonstration Barlow?" Kate asked.

"Exactly!" Barlow answered.

"Let's go Chia!" Kate said.

Chia sparked up, leaping high into the air. She charged and fired away at the Gigaremo. The Gigaremo sputtered and gave a small explosion before crumbling.

"Good job." Kate complimented.

"_Naturally."_ Chia landed on Kate's head with ease.

The two got out of the way as Professor Hastings walked up to the center, ready to speak.

"Now then. Gigaremos are destroyed by the process you've just seen. But keep in mind, there are Gigaremos that require another method of ruining. It all depends on their color." Hastings spoke. "Get the word out to all the rangers about how Gigaremos can be stopped. Kate, you deserve much thanks for your help."

Two of the rangers went over to push the destroyed Gigaremo out of the way. It took a lot of effort and time to get that thing off the main floor.

"By the way….did you notice something strange about the Gigaremo?" The professor quizzed.

Like how it failed to give Kate any headache at all? Kate was absolutely thrilled.

"Such as how it didn't hypnotize the pokemon in the building?"

Well there was that too.

"Everyone, take a look at the monitor below you." Hastings instructed.

As he said that, the monitor glowed and images appeared. Kate had to admit. THAT was really cool. She watched as she saw pictures of the Gigaremo, science type notes and a drawing of a familiar diamond shaped black stone filled the floor screen.

"See the diamond shape? There was a black stone fitted into this section. I removed the stone when I rebuilt the Gigaremo. It's clear to me that this stone embodies some sort of mysterious power that lets the Gigaremo control pokemon." Hastings explained.

The images disappeared and the floor went back to what it was.

"We're going to have to search for and destroy these Gigaremos one at a time." Barlow said. "There's no other way to deal with them, I'm afraid. But you can count on the Area rangers to stamp them all out."

"And the Ranger Union is analyzing the black stone as we speak." The green haired ranger added. "We've also launched an investigation into Dim Sun."

Dim Sun….strange name. Catchy and easy to remember. But all around….just weird.

"Hey rookie. Mind if I ask you questions?" The girl turned to Kate.

"Go ahead." Kate responded.

Kate was asked about the color of the gigaremo that fled the scene, whether Dim Sun was conducting an experiment, how they fled the scene and about trying to befriend pokemon that were hypnotized. She answered all the questions to the best of her knowledge which left the questioner satisfied.

"It seems as though Almia is under threat of a new organizarion they call Dim Sun." The elderly lady said. "But it doesn't frighten me. And it shouldn't frighten any of you either. We are here to protect and serve Almia. My only request is working towards our goal. Safeguard the people, pokemon and environment."

The elderly woman walked out of the room with Hastings. Slowly, everyone started to clear the room as well. Barlow had to go talk to the Professor but would speak with Kate later. For Kate, that was perfectly fine. It gave her a chance to explore the Union.

First stop was the third floor. Kate was in awe over the operators working hard. One of them, a nice guy named Marcus, helped Kate understand what was what. Like the green haired girl was a top ranger named Wendy (Luana's article! That was where Kate saw her!) and the elderly lady was Chairperson Erma, founder of the Ranger Union and most important person around. Then Kate went to the break room, where she found the right materials. Remembering how Spencer showed her, Kate managed to make a necklace from the sharpedo tooth using a strong black chain and a small hook drilled & glued into the tooth. Needless to say, Kate was proud of herself.

By the time she was done, Barlow came for her. They had to stay at the Union for the night since it was late. Kate grabbed a guest room and plopped onto bed. Wow was she tired…yawn…too tired….to even answer the call from….her….styler…

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Big adventure and an unexpected injury! Not bad eh? Of course I'm deeply sorry for you squeamish readers!**

**Your next chapter will board the station in a little bit! Now if you excuse me…**

***raises sledgehammer***

**I've got a scanner to fix.**


	22. Friendship Isn't Always Magic

**Way too hot outside!...hence why I stay indoors with my computer, fanfic notes and internet. A lot more authors seem to think so too. Many of the ones I favorited are updating all over the place. Hope you guys aren't too busy enjoying summer! Cause I've got the next chapter online and ready to read & review! Enjoy! **

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Keith paced across the floor to his room. Kate hadn't picked up the styler last night. She never ignored an incoming call. Even if she did, she'd return those calls quickly. So why hasn't she? Did something happened to Kate? Last they talked, Kate was about to dive underwater for the first time. A lot could've gone wrong…

"_You worry too much dude."_ Wave yawned from on the bed.

"She's my friend, Wave. I'm just hoping she didn't drown…" Keith sighed.

"_Have some faith in the girl." _Wave rolled his eyes.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Oh thank Arceus. Keith answered the call.

"Hi Keith! Sorry I didn't answer the call last night." Kate apologized.

"It's cool." Keith shrugged, starting to relax. "Now tell me all about the mission. Don't leave out a single detail."

"Heh…you sure about that?" Kate sweatdropped.

She told him how being underwater was incredible and that she would love to back down at sometime again. Keith smiled, knowing she would love it. The sharpedo chase sounded funny. He could imagine the ponytail'd ranger flailing about the currents to try and capture the pokemon. Kate got to the part where she had to stick her hand into the sharpedo's throat to retrieve the key.

"Oh gross!" Keith exclaimed.

"There were bits of food and blood still stuck in there….all slimey down the throat…" Kate chuckled, trying to creep him out.

"Stop! Ack!" Keith gagged. "Skip that part!"

"Alright. So I took the key to Brook, who wasn't too pleased about the blood, and we went back to Pueltown. Bridge got opened so Barlow and Hastings ran on ahead. I met Murph, whose like a private records guy or something for the Union." Kate continued the story.

"Cool, cool." Keith listened.

"And then we ran into Issac at the Altru Park!" Kate went on.

"Issac? Awesome! How is he?" Keith asked.

"Works as Head Researcher for Altru. He offered to bandage up my arm and then give us a tour of the company. We actually met Bl…" Kate replied.

"Back up a second! What happened to your arm?" Keith questioned cautiously.

"Oh yeah." She held her bandaged arm to the styler screen. "Turns out the sharpedos teeth scraped against my arm and left a cut that might scar for life."

Keith could feel the color and warmth leave his body. His best friend….was hurt….and left with a scar...

"It'll heal in a little while. But on the bright side, the sharpedo tooth lodged inside my arm is now a good luck charm!" Kate dangled the sharpedo tooth for Keith to see. "Isn't it cool?"

Faint….he was feeling faint….like he'd pass out right there and then…..

"What…the hell…." Keith whispered, his voice trembling and eyes wide.

She was injured, could have been killed. KILLED FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! And yet Kate seemed all peachy keen. Look at her. She had a memento of her near death hanging on her neck. How on earth was she still ok?

"Keith are you ok?" Kate asked.

"NO I AM NOT!" Keith snapped, feeling a surge of rage coming on. "Do you KNOW how dangerously close to death you were? That sharpedo could've chomped your arm straight off! Or tear you open! You could have died!"

"Calm down Redhead. I'm fine." Kate frowned.

"No you're not! You need to be more careful! If the sharpedo had swallowed the key, you could've just talked to Brook and find another way to open the damn bridge!" Keith went on.

"And let the sharpedo choke to death? Yeah I don't think so!" Kate argued. "Why do you even care so much?"

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

"Hey guys! What's up?" Rhythmi greeted.

"Keith is mad cause I did something dangerous. Even though that's part of being a RANGER!" Kate replied bitterly.

"I don't need this!" Keith shut off communications, with Wave looking at him with concern.

How on earth could she be ok with being on the brink of death? Thank Arceus she only escaped with a scar inducing cut and nothing more. But she had some serious risks there, facing death square in the face. It was bold…it was gutsy….it took an insane amount of courage to do that…..and….and….

…and its also something a real ranger would do. Kate probably knew in the back of her head the risks of sticking her hand where it didn't belong. But she did it. She got the key back and opened the bridge. Kate was the one who made that Union meeting happened. The same meeting that called attention to all the other ranger stations in Almia and Fiorre. And it was also Kate who discovered some pretty useful info about those machines and Dim Sun. That info helped him greatly on that emergency the day before.

True, she's stubborn and gutsy. But Kate was a real go-getter. She was confident, brave and had all the best qualities of a ranger. Heck….the funny, cute, nice side was hard to ignore too. There really wasn't anything Keith hated about her.

"_Why do you even care so much?"_

Why was Keith unable to answer that one question?

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"You really think so?"

"Kate…I'm calming down from a severe panic attack…" Rhythmi was trying to regain control of her breathing. "Of course I think so! What you did was seriously dangerous."

"_Totally with the operator on this one."_ Chia stared up at Kate.

"I wasn't really thinking of that when I was getting the key." Kate said. "Just that we needed the key to get things going for the Union and that the poor pokemon was probably in pain."

"What you did was certainly noble but you've got be careful." Rhythmi told her. "I'd hate to see you wind up in the hospital, Kate. Or worse…"

"Is that why Keith's mad?" Kate asked.

"He's a hotheaded idiot with no actual knowledge in his brain. But he cares. He won't admit it but Keith cares about his friends, i.e. you." Rhythmi sighed.

Keith wasn't the idiot. Kate was. And she yelled at her best friend for being concerned about her like friends do. Arcues….Keith was probably furious at her….

"I think I should apologize…" Kate said in a small voice.

"Good idea." Rhythmi agreed. "I'll leave you two at that. I expect things to be happy again when I call again."

Rhythmi disappeared from the screen. Kate immediately called Keith's styler. For two or three minutes, there was nothing but rings. Kate was hoping the guy would pick up and not stay too mad at her.

"Kate?"

Thank goodness he answered.

"Keith….I'm sorry…" Kate told him in a low tone.

"Hm?" He blinked.

"I was just doing something reckless and caused you and Rhythmi to worry….I really am an idiot…." Kate mumbled.

"Kate, what happened did upset me. But I'm also proud to call you my friend. Reaching into the sharpedo like that took a lot of guts. Er…no pun intended." Keith nervously chuckled at the joke. "I shouldn't have yelled. Sorry…"

"I'll try and be more careful." Kate promised. "I'd react the same way if you got hurt."

"Then I'll be safe too." Keith nodded.

"KATE!" It was Barlow. "Time to get back to Vientown!"

"Coming!" Kate turned back to Keith. "Gotta get moving."

"Understood. We can talk later." Keith smiled.

Kate ended the call and ran off to join Barlow.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Whats friendship without a little fighting? It's not always magic or rainbows! **

**Keep a look out for another new chapter on the way! How do you know when its here? …..lets just say the bat-signal still has its moments.**


	23. Grounded

**Yeah it's a short chapter but I tried to add a little comedy in here. Not much more to day since I'm writing this LATE at night.**

**Read, review, enjoy!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"You got in trouble?"

Kate sulked on her bed back at the ranger base in Vientown. Rhythmi called to make sure the fight between her friends was over.

"Yep. Big time." Kate pouted.

"What did you do?" Rhythmi questioned.

"Well we were going home from the Union when these tremors started. Barlow and I went to inspect Perill Cliff since it was rumored Dim Sun was over there. We climbed, stopped some Gigaremos and then spied on Dim Sun from a cliff as they used Rampardos to crash into the cliff walls. They were using these computers instead of a gigaremo though." Kate started to explain.

"Go on." Rhythmi said.

"Barlow wanted to listen in on the Dim Sun grunts conversation but I decided to go capture the Rampardos. I mean, I couldn't let the cliffs crumble or let any other pokemon get in trouble!" Kate went on. "Almost got my styler busted trying but I captured the rampardos and stopped the earthquakes!"

"And Barlow was mad because you lost out on possibly valuable information the grunts were talking about." Rhythmi rose an eyebrow.

"…..yeah. But I was itching for action!" Kate moaned.

"That information about those pokemon controlling computers would've been nice." Rhythmi reminded.

"Right…." Kate sweatdropped.

"Hey hey hey! Whats up guys?"

Keith appeared on styler screen.

"Why don't you tell us mister 'showdown hero'?" Rhythmi chuckled. "I read the paper!"

"Me too! Why didn't you tell me about that emergency mission?" Kate asked.

"The sharpedo was more interesting to me…and also made me forget about my own adventure for a little while." Keith replied.

"At least you're a hero right now. Unlike a certain grounded ranger…" Rhythmi rolled her eyes.

"No way. Kate Leon got GROUNDED?" Keith smirked, amused.

"Long story. Didn't listen to Barlow's advice and totally lost out on Dim Sun info." Kate mumbled.

"What's the punishment?" Keith asked.

"No dessert or leaving Vientown area for a week, even for patrol." Kate sighed.

"Ouch! And meanwhile I've been roaming around Fiorre as free as a pidgeot." Keith boasted.

"Oh she's probably being teased enough by the others in base." Rhythmi scolded.

"Heck yeah. Crawford's not letting me get off so easily. At least Elaine is a little sympathetic." Kate said.

_Knock! Knock!_

"Sorry but I have to go." Kate told her buddies.

A quick goodbye and Kate shut off the call as Luana came into the room.

"Hey Sparky." Luana sat on the edge of the bed.

"What's up?" Kate asked. "Wait….you're not here to tease are you…?"

"No, no! I was actually here to help you!" Luana answered.

"Help?" Kate echoed.

"Ok so Barlow's gone and will be at Boyleland for a day or two. Emergency on the volcano with all the pokemon missing or something. Crawford's the temporary leader and in charge of your grounding. Meanwhile I got Barlow's assignment. Remember the Outdoor Class in school? I was picked as the teacher for the day." Luana started to explain.

"That sounds great!" Kate commented.

"Not for me! I get stage fright! No way I'd handle the kids! Plus with my one year of experience, I wouldn't have much to tell those kids." Luana continued.

"So what are you going to do?" Kate asked.

"I'm going to let YOU take over." Luana replied.

"Me?" Kate stared in shock.

"Yeah! You've gone on more adventures in a couple of months than I have in a single year!" Luana told her. "You'd be perfect for the students!"

"But I'm grounded!" Though Kate was wishing she wasn't for every single second that passed.

"It's easy. I'll take over your patrol duty and stay out of sight. You go to the school, do a quick Outdoor Class and come back before you're missed. Crawford will never know I didn't go and that you snuck out." Luana told her. "Besides, some maps do consider the Ranger School to be a part of Vientown. In technical terms you might not actually be leaving Vientown at all."

"Did I ever tell you how much I love loopholes?" Kate grinned deviously. "I am so in."

"Perfect." Luana smiled, getting up. "Just don't mention this to anyone!"

"Never." Kate vowed.

So Kate was going to sneak out of her grounding, eh? This was gonna be fun.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**For a scatter brained ranger, Luana sure does come up with some awesome plans. But let's just see if Kate has what it takes to escape Crawford's radar and take over the position as the school's one-day teacher.**

**Sorry I skipped the entire Perill Cliff scene. I was actually stuck on 3 different drafts trying to write it but something just seemed off. So instead, I wrote this chapter and tried to add details, make you readers fill in the gaps of what happened.**

**Bzzt. Warning, warning. Next chapter is in close proximity. Please wear parachutes and have a nice day.**


	24. Dim Sun Dimwits

**Today's the day! Bustin out of grounding! But how will things turn out? Can Kate handle a class full of eager young students? Read it! Review it! Enjoy it!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

The next morning, Luana and Kate acted as if nothing happened. Woke up, got ready, dealt with kitchen fire, off to their duties. They both left the base and walked away from view.

"Let's go." Luana said.

"Thanks Luana!" Kate nodded.

The duo took off in different directions. Luana was going for another part of town, away from the base. Kate went on the pathway towards the ranger school. Sneaking out of grounding was awesome! Extremely dangerous if caught, true, but awesome nonetheless! And going back to Ranger School would be a nice trip down memory lane.

"…wait…..aw great…." Kate felt a headache coming on.

At least she was able to deal with it better, block out some of the pain. But that familiar jolt meant Dim Sun was nearby. Kate hurried to the bridge to see she was right. Two grunts were with a laptop, making a hypnotized croagunk spin around like a ballerina. Poor little guy looked ill.

"Ahahaha! Spin! Spin little ugly toad thing!" One member laughed.

"Oooh! Make him jump in the air!" The other said.

A few clicks and the croagunk did as told.

"_Those….those cruel jerks!"_ Chia growled.

"Man this machine's awesome! We can do more complicated stuff with it!" The second guy told his buddy.

"Yeah, nothing like that old gigaremo model right? This new Miniremo has over 100 commands!" The first explained. "Not to mention it's a lot easier to carry this baby around! I'd say our experiment is a success! But let's ask this pokemon to do something crazier…"

Ok that was it. Time to intervene.

"Crazy hm? Like what you're doing to it?" Kate stepped forward.

The Dim Sun minions turned around in shock.

"AAAH! A RANGER!" One screamed.

"How long have you been standing there?" The other asked, panicked.

"Long enough to hear your insanity." Kate replied.

"Wait! Turn this into an opportunity! We can demonstrate the miniremo to the ranger!" A grunt suggested.

"Wasn't the miniremo supposed to be a secret for a little while longer?" His partner asked.

"Screw it. They were gonna find out anyways." The first guy shrugged, starting to click the keys.

"Hey if you're going to attack, then do the pokemon do it while laughing uncontrollably!" The other said.

The croagunk started to laugh, just as it was ordered. It launched itself straight at Kate who was ready for capture. Compared to the Toxicrogunk, this croagunk was a breeze. The miniremo the guys were using exploded, ending Kate's headache. And the croagunk went off to wherever croagunks went.

"Take that dorks!" Kate taunted.

"Ack! We have to bail!" One guy cried out.

"Great idea but where do we go?" The other looked around frantically. "One way is to a ranger school while another way is an actual ranger!"

"We have ONE way out…" The two eyed the water.

Oh this was going to be good. Kate laughed at the Dim Sun grunts hurled themselves into the water.

"Now with those washouts out of the way, let's get back to the real mission." Kate said.

"_I couldn't agree more!"_ Chia sang.

Kate and Chia continued down the bridge and onto familiar land. They made it up to the gate, which creaked open for her. Ms. April made it down the stairs, surprised to see Kate standing there.

"Kate! Good to see you!" Ms. April greeted.

"Barlow had to handle an emergency so I'm here as the replacement." Kate told her.

"So I see. Let's go to the Ascension Square! The other students are waiting!" Ms. April said.

The teacher and ranger walked together up the stairs and through the school-yard.

"For a second, I still thought of you as one of my own students…" Ms. April sighed.

Kate sweatdropped.

"Anyways, not much has changed. Though Mr. Kincaid ended up leaving. We're not sure why." Ms. April said.

Good riddance. He was a strict teacher anyways. But then again, no other student would know a joy such as pranking Mr. 'Don't run in the halls'. Heck if he were there now, Kate would've gloated about how many times she broke that rule. Her thoughts quickly passed when the two walked down the stairs and to the Ascension Square, where all the kids and school staff members gathered around. They immediately were in awe seeing Kate stand on the Pledge Stone.

"It's magic how we get nothing but blue, sunny skies for our Outdoor class!" Ms. April said. "Everyone, meet Kate! She's a ranger from Vientown."

"Hi Kate!" The class greeted.

"What's up?" Kate smiled and showed off her pose.

After a brief explanation of the ranger poses to the class, Ms. April allowed the kids to fire questions away. Although Kate didn't expect a huge bombardment of questions! Through the excited crowd, she picked kids out one by one.

"Did you ever get good grades at school?" A light haired kid asked first.

"Mostly. I've had my weak points too such as math." Kate answered.

"Is your job busy?" A blond girl asked next.

"Usually its moderate but as of late, me and the other rangers have been putting in extra work. But we do get our days off to just relax, kick back, that kind of thing." Kate responded.

"Have you ever seen a real gigaremo?" A dark haired guy questioned.

"I was one of the first to see, and destroy, one! The Union let me in on their meetings to demonstrate what I know about them." Kate bragged.

The kids broke out into excited whispers.

"Heh…are you…um…in love with anyone?" An orange haired girl questioned.

"What? No way!" Kate's face flushed a bare pink.

"Come on, there's GOT to be someone! Another ranger, some citizen, an old classmate…" Orange hair persisted.

"Nope! Sorry! I'm only in love with my ranger work!" Kate cut the girl off, a little embarrassed.

"Have you captured more than 100 pokemon, ranger girl?" A black haired girl asked.

Kate took a moment to think it over.

"I don't keep track, to be perfectly honest." Kate sweatdropped.

"Is…is something bad happening in Almia right now?" Another girl with dark hair timidly questioned.

"Yes but don't you worry about it. The rangers are here to take care of it." Kate reassured. "We know how to handle these things."

"What's up with that bandage on your arm?"

Kate explained the entire story about the sharpedo to the students. They seemed thrilled and in wonder as Kate pulled out her lucky necklace with the tooth.

"Is it true rangers can't go home often?"

"Well my family's in Almia now so I visit on occasion." Which reminded Kate to go see them sometime soon. "But even if you're separated by different regions, I'm sure you can come back home every once in a while."

"Can I touch your styler…?" A shy girl asked.

"Sure." Kate smiled.

"…..I…I can't…..I'm too nervous!" The girl shrunk back.

"So ranger. Do you sleep in pajamas at night or maybe in the…" A student was about to ask.

"OH NO! We'll have none of THAT!" Ms. April intervened. "Are we all out of questions, everyone?"

"Oh Ranger! I've got a question for ya!"

Everyone turned to see Dim Sun members come down the stairs. Not just any Dim Sun grunts though. The same ones from the bridge! And man did they look sopping wet….

"Dear ranger, why did you have to be such a pest AND MESS WITH US?" One guy fumed.

"She doesn't even have to answer that. Cause we're here for payback." The other chuckled. "Maybe we'll get the students too once we're done."

The students ran some feet away, scared of the danger. Principal Lamont was busy trying to get them to calm down.

"You horrid people! I won't let you harm my students!" Ms. April called out.

"Pfft. Like we're scared." One guy muttered.

They pulled out another miniremo. They started typing stuff right up.

"Let's show these kids our new toy, hm?" A guy sneered. "Carnivine!"

Two carnivine showed up, snarling their teeth. Kate had fun with the capture. These pokemon were tricky and all over the place. Easier to handle thanks to Chia's help but still very interesting to capture. The miniremo blew up and the carnivine went off.

"Argh! Schooled again!" One grunt groaned.

"Let's bail! Again!" The other shouted.

Both of them ran off, looking like complete buffoons in the process. The students were cheering. Some were buzzing about how much they wanted to be a ranger and to be as good as Kate. It felt cool being a role-model.

Ms. April herded the students back to the school, after everyone thanked Kate for saving the day. Principal Lamont asked Kate about Erma and how she was doing. Kate answered that she was doing good which pleased the principal. Once everyone was inside, the ranger sat down on the Pledge Stone.

How long ago had it been? It seemed like only yesterday she, Keith and Rhythmi were hanging out on the statue. Now they were off in Fiorre while Kate got Vientown. The pledge they made about staying friends…that hadn't changed at all. Getting an idea, Kate called up on the styler.

"Hey Kate. What's up?" Keith greeted in his usual upbeat voice.

"Guess where I am." Kate showed the screen up to the Pledge Stone.

"No way….is that…the Pledge Stone?" Keith gasped.

"Yep. Outdoor class teacher for a day." Kate told him. "I even got to stop some Dim Sun weirdoes who were threatening the students."

"Sounds to me like you were a good teacher." Keith said.

"Heck yeah." Kate smiled. "They all went in and I was hanging around….just thought I'd call you and bring a little memory or two from the old times."

"I remember everything. Picnics, chasing each other around, talking…." Keith sighed calmly.

"And our pledge to stay friends?" Kate quizzed.

"That hasn't changed a bit, now has it?" Keith chuckled.

"Keith, I'm really happy to have friends like you and Rhythmi. You guys actually understand and care about me. We're all supportive and have a lot of great times. I couldn't ask for anything better than you." Kate told him.

Another bad sunburn? Keith must've been to Summerland again or something.

"Hey I'm grateful too. You discovered a…er….an unusual side of me. Yet you stayed friends with me and kept the secret. You're the one who covered for me and helped me where needed. I might not be as good a ranger now if not for you." Keith said.

Those words had a lot of meaning for Kate. She couldn't help smiling. Keith really was her best friend.

"Thanks Keith." Kate said.

Keith turned away for a slight moment, another voice in the background.

"It's Spencer. Gotta take this." Keith cut off the communications.

Kate chilled out by the Pledge Stone some more, enjoying the gorgeous scenery and replaying memories of school all over again. But another memory popped in for a few seconds.

"_Heh….are…um…you in love with anyone? Come on, there's GOT to be someone! Another ranger, some citizen, an old classmate…"_

Weird…why did Keith come to mind when Kate thought of 'an old classmate'?

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"So how was patrolling, Sparky?"

Kate strolled back into the base, as if she never left for the school at all.

"Eh. It was alright." Kate responded.

"Did you run into trouble with Dim Sun?" Crawford asked.

"One guy but I took care of it." Kate leaned over the operator counter.

"Must've really terrified the students." Crawford commented.

"Yeah the students were a bit scared but they…" Back up a moment. "…..I am so busted aren't I?"

"Big time." Crawford replied, not in one of his usual jokester moods.

"How did you find out?" Kate asked.

"Easy. Ms. April called, asking me to pass on a thank you for rescuing the students. And I distinctly remember it was Luana's job to take care of the Outdoor class." Crawford answered. "I can't believe you disobeyed our leader and snuck out."

During Crawford's speech about responsibility and how to take on the punishment, Luana came back to base. Right away she seemed to know that Kate was in trouble.

"Crawford, stop!" Luana ran over. "Please don't punish her!"

"Luana I…" Crawford was cut off.

"No! It was my idea to switch duties for today! I didn't feel ready to talk to the students yet and Sparky would've made for a better teacher anyways. You know I get nervous speaking in front of people…" Luana told him, growing into a panic and shivering.

"You could've talked to me and I'd take over." Crawford told her, his voice suddenly softer.

"But….but I didn't want to disappoint you…" Luana sniffled, on the very edge of tears.

Kate glanced at Elaine who was watching the scene with a nervous expression. Even Becca turned her head towards the unstoppable train wreck. Crawford was stunned for a moment. He was about to say something else when Luana snapped. She was bawling. The poor ranger girl was crying her eyes and started to run upstairs to the bedrooms.

"LUANA!" Crawford went after her, his face full of regret.

There were footsteps, crying, a door slam and distant muffles of voices. The three girls left in the base were temporarily frozen in place, listening in on the dramatic scene.

"Sounds like our temporary leader has everything under control…" Elaine said sarcastically, sighing.

"Luana can get a little emotional. Probably felt guilty about double-crossing him like that." Becca pointed out.

"I shouldn't have agreed to switch places." Kate said.

"No you actually did good. Luana doesn't do well with speaking and that Ourdoor class would've been a disaster." Becca told her. "Plus her lack of experience with Dim Sun…"

"…might not have gone over well." Elaine finished. "Just give Luana a little while and she'll be over it."

"Not to mention Crawford could use some….heh…. 'alone time' with her." Becca smirked.

"Um…am I missing something?" Kate asked, feeling a bit clueless.

The mechanic and operator stared at her for a brief moment.

"If you don't know, then never mind." They responded in a unison.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Do we detect a little 'something' in the guys this chapter? Oh how I tease them so. And yet we have the two girls who are completely oblivious to what's going on.**

**Update is near! **


	25. Itsa Hot One!

**Wishin I had that Blastoise from oh so many chapters ago. Hating the stupid drought we're having in my town now. Aw well. Forget that. CELEBRATE THE HAPPY READERS AND AWESOME FANFICTION!**

…**.OH WAIT MY THUMB IS STUCK ON THE CAPS LOCK!**

***releases thumb***

**Better. Anyways, we've got one regular! A read, review and enjoy!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

The night went a little more awkward after that. Luana barricaded herself in her room for a few hours, with Crawford on the other side of the door trying to make amends. He did apologize to Kate, though, and let the whole issue slide. Ollie came and stayed with the girls over dinner. He was doing better than when Kate last saw him. Though the poor guy was as lost as Kate was over the whole Luana and Crawford thing. Luckily Luana eventually came out, chipper as usual. Crawford seemed a bit worn out and turned in early.

Welcome to life at the Vientown base.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"What's all the noise about…?"

Kate yawned, sleepily walking into the base early in the morning. Everyone was up and seeme on the edge. Especially Crawford.

"We've got a problem. Barlow's missing." He said.

"He's missing?" Kate started to wake up upon hearing the news.

"Disappeared just like the pokemon!" Luana told her.

"The Union's rasied a red alert. His styler's location signal vanished from their map. Last was seen in Boyleland Volcano" Becca said, typing away at the computer. "If his styler were working properly, then his signal would show up. Nor has he reported back to us since yesterday morning."

"Maybe he dropped it in lava?" Kate suggested.

"Possibly. Would totally be worth laughing over later." Crawford kidded. "Still, best thing to do is look for him."

"So you're going out?" Elaine asked.

"I need to stay here and watch the base as ordered." Crawford sighed.

"Then it's either Luana or Kate." Becca said.

"Luana? NO. I guarantee in two seconds she'd space out and fall into magma." Crawford told her. "And Sparky here is still grounded."

"I wouldn't do that!" Luana protested.

Crawford paced a little, deep in thought. It was a moment before he spoke again.

"Alright Sparky, since I'm leader of the base I can call the shots. And that means I officially unground you." Crawford announced.

"You mean…" Kate was certainly liking where this was going.

"You're going to Boyleland to search for our leader." Crawford assigned.

"I won't let you down chief!" Kate cheered.

"Just take the boat to the island. Pueltown Harbor just opened back up again so grab a ride from there." Crawford continued.

Kate was already out the door and on her way to Pueltown, excited about the newest adventure she was about to face.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"LUCKY! You get to go to someplace warm!"

Kate was talking to Rhythmi and Keith via styler on the incredibly long boat-ride over to Boyleland.

"Maybe for you. I hate the heat…." Kate wailed.

"But you're going on an exciting adventure!" Rhythmi reminded.

"And you're not grounded!" Keith added.

"How true. Barlow's not going to be happy about that though." Kate sweatdropped.

Something caught Kate's eyes. Up in the sky were pokemon, purple balloonish ones with white puffs and yellow x's. Kate saw them in a picture but what were they?

"Hey guys?" Kate held the styler to the sky. "Any idea what those are?"

"Driftloon migration!" Rhythmi squealed, excited. "Oooh they're so cute! You are so lucky to see an actual driftloon migration!"

"How do you know what those are?" Keith asked.

"Oh I spent a few summers in Floaroma town in Sinnoh for vacation. I loved to see those adorable cuties!" Rhythmi answered.

"They are cute." Kate commented, watching them soar on by.

"Driftloon are also a sign of good luck on adventures or, if spotted by a couple, romance." Rhythmi informed. "Huh. I wonder if it works while you're talking through a styler…."

"Heck no." Keith mumbled.

"Anyways, I'm seeing land up ahead so I better just focus on the mission. Call you soon!" Kate flipped off the styler.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Talking to the village elder was a fate worse than being grounded.

It took Kate forty five minutes to explain she wasn't the ranger from before, that she was looking for the ranger mentioned previously and that she wasn't a boy. All of this Kate had to endure just to get permission to enter the damn cave. When Kate finally did enter, she found an explosion of heat rush against her. Where was that cool ocean breeze from before? Oh yeah, stuck outside the volcano.

Why couldn't volcanos be…..less hot? Molten magma was just plain awesome. Especially the thrill and sense of danger. One wrong move and you're dead. How epic was that? Plus the cave involved a lot of climbing and swinging; two things Kate had grown up doing in Lyra Forest. And then flying over magma rivers using driftloon? Volcanoes were fun!

"_Lest you forget the real reason we're here?" _Chia reminded.

"You're right, you're right." Kate sighed. "And it's way too hot in this place. Sooner we find our leader, the sooner I can go somewhere with air conditioning."

For a little bit, the two explored the cave to look for hints. Near an opening to a deeper area of the volcano, Kate noticed something dropped on the ground. She ran over to find…

"Barlow's styler!" Kate exclaimed, picking it up. "Aw man…he didn't fall into the lava did he? How would I ever explain this to the guys back at base!"

"_The heat's frying your brain."_ Chia smirked. _"But there isn't any sign of him or Punch."_

Kate inspected the styler. It was shut off. And other than the anchor clip for the belt being gone, the styler itself seemed just fine. Barlow wasn't the kind of guy to just drop his styler (Luana immediately comes to mind). So where was the fearless leader? Kate dove into the cave opening. No sooner had she taken a few steps in when she saw Dim Sun goons on an arch above her.

"Arceus! What a nightmare!" The guy grunt groaned.

"Yeah it was brutal! Totally whacked out that we had to subdue that huge ranger…" The girl huffed.

They had to be talking about Barlow. Kate listened in.

"Took about eight of us to finally tie the dude up. Pokemon ranger? My ***bleeeeep***. More like a freakin wrestler." The girl griped. "And his makuhita's a real pain."

"Totally. But I think I goofed." The guy was saying. "I grabbed the styler and shut it off, no problem. It's just…I dropped it somewhere. No idea where."

"With any luck, its in lava…..HEY!" The girl noticed Kate. "It's a ranger!"

"WHAT? Run!"

The two dashed off somewhere. At least Kate found out what happened to Barlow. Now all that was left to do was go rescue him. Kate charged forth into the volcano. She had to admit the volcano was a 'cool' place. Heh…she'd tell Crawford that one later. But all sorts of pokemon species lived inside. From fire types like Magmar and Charmander to even Kangaskhan and Lairon. Pokemon really could live anywhere.

After a long hike, Kate found the two grunts again. They stood above an arch. Beyond the arch, in a culdesac, was a metal door. Had to be where Dim Sun was hiding.

"Ha ha HAAAA! Foolish ranger! We've got a back-up plan!" The guy yelled.

He pulled out a black box with a big red button.

"Dynamite time!" He slammed his hand onto the button.

A loud explosion rang. From the ceiling came several big rocks that blocked entry into the arch. The Dim Sun grunts laughed, seeming proud of their work.

"Nice work. But uh…how do you guys get back in?" Kate challenged.

The laughing stopped. They went straight to freaking out.

"CRUD WE BLEW IT!"

"We? Says the guy who used dynamite! Now how do we get to the hidden harbor?"

"You just blabbed about the hidden harbor! That's where the pokemon is! We can't tell her that!

"Yeah but YOU did!"

"Curse our mouths! Dammit!"

Kate had trouble trying to resist laughing. Nearby was a mawhile. Instantly getting the idea, Kate did a quick capture and an area clear. The rocks crumbled into dust, opening the arch way once again. Kate waltzed right past the cry babies and on her way to the 'hidden harbor' the goons were talking about.

"HEY!"

Almost made it to the door. Darn it all…

"Thanks for clearing that little mess up." The guy sarcastically thanked.

"Now let's show YOU whose boss!" The girl pulled out a miniremo.

A few clicks and some clacks later, a swarm of numel surrounded Kate. The pokemon were very mellow, even while controlled. Just avoid a few lava puddles and one regular capture comin up. As usual, Dim Sun wasn't happy over another miniremo destruction.

"MOMMY!" The guy ran past Kate and snuck into the door.

"Wait up a second brother!" The girl gave chase.

Brother? Well…Kate did see some resemblance. But it was more personality than anything. Wow they were lame.

"Let's go!" Kate said to Chia.

They opened the door and walked into the harbor. It was a lot cooler in there. Mostly due to the fact wind and cold ocean water was able to get in. Relaxing actually. If not for the creepy steel industry stuff, giant ominous cargo ship and weird evil organization members all over the place.

"Look!" Chia pointed.

Kate saw dozens of hypnotized pokemon march straight into the ship. At the very end of the line were a few Dim Sun members, pushing something else. It was Barlow! He was tied up alongside Punch, being forced to move onto the ship. He was yelling something but it was hard to make out over the water. Boy did he look furious.

"So Dim Sun's abducting pokemon as well as a hostage." Kate whispered.

She started to sneak over to the giant shipping boxes when she heard something.

"Alright crew! Remember if you see a ranger, tie them up. We'll debate what to do with them later. We've got 3 minutes before ship sails off!"

"Aye aye!"

Crud. Kate could hear footsteps sounding out. There would be grunts all over the place. And she was not about to get caught! Looks like the game was to be quiet and sneak on over to the ship. Very quickly.

"_Take the left path."_ Chia quietly suggested, seeing the right was with a Dim Sun on guard.

Kate managed to make it far into the area. The giant crates were useful for ducking behind and sneaking around. But close to the end, Kate found herself trapped. Up ahead, a Dim Sun member was coming her way! And going behind her was pointless…she was just barely out of range for another guy.

"Ack! What do I do?" Kate's mind tried thinking of any ideas.

The Dim Sun coming toward her was close. Randomly, Kate jumped out and punched the guy straight in the face. With an 'oof', he dizzily crashed onto the ground unconscious. Blood spilled from his nose and teeth.

"_You punched him…?"_ Chia blinked, shocked at the choice.

"I panicked!" Kate yell-whispered.

"Hey did you hear something?"

Kate heard footsteps. She was able to dash away before a group of grunts surrounded their KO'd comrade. There it was! The boat! Made it just in time! The three minutes were just about up!

"Ranger!"

Some Dim Sun goons appeared from the entranceway of the ship.

"Get her!"

No time to deal with them! Five seconds till the boat takes off! Kate frantically pushed them away from her, landing both into the water. With that, she got inside the boat as the door started to close.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**It was tricky trying to write this chapter. SOOOOO glad I made it though! It was kind of like trying to race through that ship yard like Kate did. Know where to go, obstacles in the way but you have a lot to weave around. Oh and don't worry about that Dim Sun guy who got his lights punched out. He'll be fine. …I think.**

**Now if you look to your right, you'll see that an update will be coming right at us within a very short amount of time!**


	26. That Sinking Feeling

**Yowza. Spent a LOT of time on this chapter! Hard to get started but got deep into it once I got going! Hopefully there's no errors or any flaws. Have to admit this is one of my better chapters, one I am proud of. And, at the moment writing this, it's also my longest chapter! But I've got a lot more in mind that I'm itching to write! So can't wait for you guys to read those!**

**You know the drill. Read, review, EAT CELERY! No sillies! I meant enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon**

**Claimer: I do own any changes made to character & plot alongside designs and extra scenes.**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate slowly walked away from the ship's doorway. She felt the jerk and heard the ocean waves, meaning the ship was moving. Who knew where it was heading? Didn't matter so much as getting Barlow back. Question is, where was he? Kate spotted Dim Sun and hid behind a crate.

"THIS is the Kingston Valve? Looks like the plug from my bathtub. Minus all the hair." One guy said.

"Ok one, eeeewwwwww. And two, that's what this thing is." The other one told him. "Basically a giant plug. Yank if off and within minutes, the entire thing will be underwater. Only a machoke level strength could ever pull the thing back in. Otherwise, impossible."

"Why would anyone add this to the ships design? I highly doubt sinking a ship would go according to our plans." The first guy huffed.

"Hey I didn't design this thing. I'm just following orders and guarding it. At least you got to go kidnap pokemon." The second one groaned.

Show time.

"And I'm here to bring them back." Kate stepped out into the open.

"What the hell is a ranger doing on here?" One of them shouted.

"How could our Siren unit possibly miss you?" The other questioned.

"Yeah…they fell asleep on the job." Kate said.

"_If by that you mean you punched one guy unconscious…"_ Chia snickered.

"Double Miniremo Assault!"

Both grunts whipped out Miniremos and typed in orders. Two machoke appeared and came after Kate. Kate, though, managed to capture both as if nothing special. Two miniremo explosions later, the grunts started freaking out.

"WE'RE TELLING ON YOU!" One cried out before running alongside the other.

"Spoken like a true six year old." Kate sweatdropped.

"More like five to me." Chia commented.

Kate continued to go into the ship. Pokemon were all over the place, though Kate suspected not all of them were from Boyleland. Most likely stowaways or kidnapped from other places. Maybe even a few were loyal to Dim Sun. Who could tell? But all over the place were Dim Suns which Kate took care to avoid. Same with the Ariados and Spinark….yeah those pokemon creeped Kate out. Bug types just weren't her strong suit.

"I don't get it." Kate looked around. "Where is Barlow?"

An hour or so had passed with no luck. She managed to free pokemon from electric absorbing machines and ruin a gigaremo holding the Boyleland pokemon hostage. But nada. Kate pressed on, finding a new room to continue. It was a dark one. Almost impossible to see but, from what Kate could tell, it was small and crammed with all sorts of items. Kate walked on forward.

"AHA!"

Bam!

"OW!"

Kate jumped from the sudden scream and tripped over something, slamming her head into the opposite wall. Chia, unhurt from the surprise attack found a lightswitch above Kate's head and turned it on.

"Sparky?"

Barlow and Punch! They were tied up but Kate had found them!

"There you guys are! I've been looking all over!" Kate got up and went over.

"Good to see ya. Though I never expected you to do the rescuing." Barlow responded. "Sorry I tripped you but I wanted revenge on Dim Sun."

Kate went to work trying to untie the ropes. Yikes. Bound super tight. Even more so than when Ollie was wrapped up. Thank you Dim Sun, though, for carelessly leaving a pair of wire-cutters lying around.

"Whew…thanks. Can't believe Ollie put up with this." Barlow sighed. "Wait a second."

Kate didn't like the tone of his voice.

"You're supposed to be grounded." Barlow remembered.

"Heh….about that…" Kate nervously laughed. "Crawford _un_grounded me so I could go on the mission. By the way, here's your styler."

Kate handed back the styler to Barlow.

"Thanks for that. It burned me to think my symbol as a ranger was taken away from me." Barlow turned his styler on. "Oh wow…lots of new mail."

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

"Voicemail! It's Crawford. Your signals all clear so Sparky must've joined up with you. Good going, Sparky!" Crawford called.

"Thanks Crawford. So I heard you ungrounded our little rookie…" Barlow seemed ticked.

"Uh oh….gotta run! If you need anything, just voicemail us! Glad you're safe!" The call ended.

"Hmmm…I caused a lot of worry…" Barlow mumbled. "And I even caused my own pokemon to suffer. Sorry Punch."

Punch accepted the apology, giving a fist pump.

"Well those Dim Sun jerks won't get away with this! We're bringing those jerks to justice!" Barlow proclaimed.

"Yeah!" Kate cheered.

"And then we'll discuss about that grounding issue alongside with Crawford." Barlow looked over at Kate with suspicion.

"….yeah?" Kate sweatdropped.

"First things first, we need to wrestle control of the ship." Barlow advised.

Both went to the back door. Only to find it locked. Lovely.

"That calls for a target clear." Barlow said.

"But I don't think any pokemon can…" Kate was about to say.

"Stand aside." Barlow ordered.

Kate did as told. Barlow backed up to the other side of the room. Ok now it was obvious what he was about to do. With one ranger pose and a 'target clear' shout, Barlow charged forward and broke the door.

Crash!

Crash!

Wait…two crashes?

"What the…? Hey Kate! Come over here!" Barlow called.

Kate ran out of the room and across the hall. Looks as though he couldn't stop running and burst through a second room, labeled 'Captains Quarters'.

"Looks the room of the guy we're after." Barlow said. "Unusually sweet scented for a guys room though."

Kate didn't respond. She was trying to think. That….that smell….

"Something wrong?" Barlow asked.

"No it's just…I know that smell from somewhere. Super strong, so much of it that it chokes whoever passes by...how could I forget it?" Kate answered, mulling it all over.

On the dresser there was a familiar bottle. Extra-strong hairspray with new pomegranate scent.

"I know this brand. I've seen someone use it. Heck…I even remember pouring jelly inside this bottle for a prank…" Kate went on. "I just can't remember who it belongs to…"

"We'll find out soon enough. Let's get a move on." Barlow said.

Both rangers ran out of the room and into the hallways. Down the corridor, around a sharp corner and another hallway before they reached the stairs. They climbed up and left through the door, feeling the wind blow past them.

"Mhm. Breeze feels nice." Kate took in a deep breath.

"Be ready for whatevers up ahead, Sparky." Barlow reminded.

Kate nodded and they walked up to the bridge of the ship. The door to the ship's control room opened. Her muscles tensed up as the identity of the captain was revealed. The hairspray….Kate remembered who it belonged to. And there he was now.

"Well well well. Long time no see, Kate." He haughtily said. "I've gotten reports of you running through the hallways. You haven't changed at all have you?"

"Mr. Kincaid…" Kate growled.

"You know this guy?" Barlow stared at her.

"One of the teachers back at Ranger school." Kate answered.

"Ah but I was only playing at being a teacher. I am actually…." Kincaid ripped his usual suit off dramatically to reveal black & purple Dim Sun clothing. "Dim Sun's Guiding Light Kincaid!"

"You jerk…" Kate muttered.

"My, you certainly haven't changed. But you have come a long way now that you're confronting me." Kincaid said. "Never would've expected you of all rangers. Especially the way you ran in the halls. Such a delinquent. Now your journey ends here."

The doors opened on the ship, with Dim Sun grunts and admins pouring out. They surrounded the ship, prepared for battle.

"You knew we were coming!" Barlow yelled.

"Like we wouldn't notice? Minions, take care of them." Kincaid commanded.

Miniremos were pulled out. Rhyhorns were summoned. Kate took on half the group, narrowly avoiding their rampaged charges and flung boulders. One by one, the Miniremos crashed. Barlow did well on his end too. The Dim Sun fleet nervously stared at Kincaid, who glared at them in return.

"Sorry capp'in! We'll just swim home!"

The cowards ran to the ships edge and jumped straight off. Kincaid made no attempt to stop them.

"What? Not going to help them?" Kate sarcastically asked the ex-teacher.

"They're idiots and the ship will save fuel. Besides…" He snapped his fingers, summoning a new crew on the decks. "…there's still plenty more."

"Kate! Handle the small-fry! I'm goin after the barracuda himself." Barlow ordered as he charged up the stairs.

The goons summoned a few stunky.

"You're going to get it now hairspray head!" Kate heard Barlow call.

From the corner of her eye, Kate saw a Drapion near Kincaid. But she instead focused on the stunky. Phew…bad smell…but it was what they were known for. Kate looped around several times to avoid their stench and fury swipes. It took a bit more time but she managed to capture them. Cue the miniremo explosion and the minions throwing themselves overboard.

"WAAAAAH!"

Kate heard a small explosion and a thud. She turned to find Barlow knocked onto the ground, unconscious and severely damaged. His styler was smoking. Had to be busted. Meanwhile Kincaid was looking smug alongside the drapion.

"He deserved kudos for his bravado. But he clearly lacked the ability to capture drapion here." Kincaid gloated. "The miniremos power is unbelievable! Light, compact, twice as much power and over 100 pokemon commands. In fact, this gem was developed by a boy your age, Kate."

What kind of boy would make such a horrid invention?

"He was one of those 'once in a century' geniuses. To recruit that genius for Dim Sun, I positioned myself at the Ranger School." Kincaid went on.

"You used the school for that? That's low!" Kate yelled back. "How can you make innocent pokemon suffer like that?"

"Say what you want." Kincaid was hardly offended. "Let's begin your final lesson, shall we. Drapion, don't hold back."

The drapion leapt with a huge bam, in front of Kate. There was a huge gulp at the back of her throat. This was one intimidating pokemon. And if it could knock Barlow unconscious, just imagine what it'd do to her.

"_I'm with you, Kate. We'll fight this together."_ Chia encouraged.

Kate had tackled tangrowths, got her scraped by a sharpedo and wrangled rampardos. She'd jump dangerous cliffs, handled grunts from an evil corporation time & time again, dove underwater and discovered the whole gigaremo stuff. A drapion? Just one more step up, another moment, a new challenge to face. Kate was ready. She'd defeat Kincaid by befriending this pokemon. Possible injuries? Maybe. But bring it, hairspray head.

"Capture on!" Kate yelled out.

She jumped out of the way as the drapion lashed out its arm. Kate made the loops and circles, dodging hit after hit. For a little while, she was on a roll. This was awesome! A challenge Kate had wanted for a long time! What a rush! Another victory to be chalked up! Why did Barlow have trouble with this pokemon?

"_Kate! Look out!"_ Chia cried.

Kate barely moved her head when she felt a powerful blow. She was knocked several feet away. The ranger stood up only to get knocked again by the drapion's poison claws, scratched in several areas. Kate's sharpedo wound was opened back up and starting to bleed.

"Dammit…" Kate whispered.

She was halfway there. A little more ways to go. Kate continued on with the capture. But dodging and weaving got tricky. Her movements were slowed thanks to the injuries. Drapion was able to smack Kate more and more. Maybe she underestimated this pokemon a little too soon. Kate got way too cocky. And now she paid for that mistake.

"Chia!" Kate coughed, struggling to keep on her toes.

Chia understood. She launched an electric attack on drapion. Kate was able to catch a break for a moment and gain some more capture on it. When the drapion broke free, its friendship meter was nearly done. Everything felt like it was going slow-mo. The pokemon tried to hammer its arms down on her, trying to deliver a finishing blow. Kate leapt to the side, wrapping the capture disc around the drapion in a final loop.

"Capture complete!" Kate proclaimed, trying to push aside the enormous pain.

The drapion was calm once more, with the miniremo exploded And Kincaid stood from his spot, looking like he'd explode as well.

"Seems I underestimated you." He snarled. "Luckily, I always have a backup plan.

He pulled out a walkie talkie and gave an evil smirk.

"This is your captain speaking. We've got an emergency on our hands, minions." Kincaid spoke into the device. "Pull out the Kingston Valve right away! Abandon ship if you wish to live."

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKIN MIND?" Kate screamed.

"By taking down this ship, I dispose of all evidence. As a bonus, I take the rangers to a watery grave." Kincaid replied nonchalantly.

"Maybe but you'll kill yourself too!" Kate pointed out.

"Heh. I don't think so."

Kinaid whipped out a second miniremo, summoning a Gliscor. He grabbed onto its tail, about to take off.

"Can't you see Kate? You lost. It's all over." Kincaid laughed. "You, your ranger friend and all the pokemon onboard will have this ship be your final resting place! Bon Voyage!"

A tremor shook the ship. Kate sensed that the plug had been pulled out. Kincaid gave another laugh before flying off on his gliscor. Dim Sun members rushed to the top of the ship to plummet to the cold water.

"Barlow!" Kate got to Barlow's side and tried shaking his arm. "Come on leader! Wake up! We've got an emergency here! _Please_ wake up!"

No response. He was out cold. Which meant Kate was on her own. Up to her to figure out a way to stop the mayhem. Kate had to save the ship full of pokemon from sinking.

"Let's go Chia!" Kate, despite feeling sore all over, sprinted up the stairs and into the control room.

Kate looked around at the panels. She never handled a ship before, let alone a gigantic one. Sadly, there no other option. Kate thought through any possibilities. The nearest dock was in Pueltown but there was no way she'd make it in time. Water was pouring onto the ship awfully quick.

"I better use the radio to sound alert…my stylers too low on energy." Kate said, honing in on the signal on the radio. "Hey this is Kate! Anyone out there?"

A second or two of static.

"Sparky? Sparky is that really you? Woooo! Hope you and Barlow come back soon!" It was Crawford.

"That's the thing." Kate told him. "We took over Dim Sun's ship that's full of abducted pokemon! But they pulled the plug…literally! We're taking on water, the ship is sinking and I don't think I can make it to Pueltown! Barlow can't help cause he's knocked out! I'm in trouble Crawford!"

"Wait…WHAT? Aw man this better be a joke!" Crawford wailed.

"I wish it was! This message….it might be…my last words…" Kate's voice shook.

"Don't say that, Sparky! That's not like you at all!" Crawford was getting distressed. "Look, wake up Barlow and save yourselves."

But…that would mean an entire shipload of pokemon would die. Kate would never be able to live with herself if she didn't even try to save them. Even at the expense of her own life. A real ranger would take courage and do everything in their power to protect people, pokemon and the environment. They'd do whatever it takes.

"Crawford, I'm ending the transmission." Kate said, an idea forming in her head. "There's something I need to do."

"Alright. Good luck Sparky." Crawford told her.

Kate finished the call and ran out of the room, back out onto the deck. Dim Sun members were hurling themselves to sea while pokemon gathered around, unsure what to make of the scene. Punch was starting to come to but Barlow was still out.

"Punch!" Kate ran over. "Try and get Barlow to wake up. If and when he does, have him guide the ship to shallow waters."

"Maku." Punch gave a salute.

Kate was racing off of the top of the ship and down the stairs, back into the depths. She went past the hysteria of grunts and scared pokemon. Though Kate was a bit anxious too over what was going on, she knew what she had to do. If there was any hope of getting the ship to land, first would be to stop it from taking on water. The only way was to get the Kingston Valve in place again. She estimated there was about four more minutes till game over for everyone onboard. It might be very little time but it could be just enough. Especially at the speed Kate was running down those halls. Ha! Kincaid woud've raged over it.

Past the old rooms…past more Dim Sun members….past the pokmon….Kate kept going. Water was pouring through the ship. Time was ticking away. Each second would be one that would never come back. Every single second that took the ship that much closer to death. Kate felt an immense amount of pressure put on her. But she wouldn't crack.

It wasn't just the pokemon Kate was trying to save. It was herself. She wanted to live another day. To see the sunshine stretch across Vientown. Hear another pun from Crawford, laughing alongside the others. Kate wanted to see her family again back in Chicole Village. And to see Rhythmi and Keith, her two best friends. Even if they didn't miss her when or if she died, kate would miss them. She loved everyone and didn't want to leave the world just yet.

One of the rooms was starting to flood with water. Kate knew she was close to the room. And there was a frightened machoke, standing along the edge of the wall. Perfect! Kate would need its strength! She captured it and proceeded further in the ship.

"There it is!" Kate saw the opening.

For a second, she cringed, feeling the extreme pain. But seeing the flood of water pouring snapped her back. Kate and the machoke jumped from crate to crate, the water level steadily increasing. Once they got to the valve near the end of the line of crates, Kate issued the command to move the valve. Machoke did as Kate asked it to and managed to stop the water from coming in! Yes! And with anywhere from a minute…maybe even just half a minute to spare. Yikes what a close call…

"_This is your captain speaking."_

Barlow! He must've woke up and went to the ship's intercom. No doubt he was trying to get the ship to safety now.

"Any pokemon back inside are advised to get to the top of the ship for their safety. Dim Sun idiots can either jump or get pushed off the ship." Barlow continued. "Special thanks to Sparky for stopping the water and saving the day."

Everything was going to be alright. True the ship wasn't out of danger quite yet. But with Barlow behind the wheel, Kate felt confident her leader could steer them to shore.

"Ack!" Kate fell to her knees.

Maybe the water wasn't coming in….but the blood on her arm hadn't stopped coming out. Man was it painful! That drapion did a number on her…thank arcues her arm was paralyzed or chopped right off….

All of a sudden, the boat veered a super steep right. Kate was launched off the crates and crashed into the hard walls, hitting her head and landing into the water. Spots danced on her vision. She was starting to feel distant…sort of…cold. Everything seemed to mix together at once as Kate felt her energy leak out her cuts. Kate thought she felt a huge crash but wasn't sure. Everything felt still and eerily calm.

Time crawled. Slowly, Kate felt herself drifting in a bare state of awareness. It was awhile before she heard voices, running together. As they got closer, Kate could hear some but didn't know whose they were…

"There she is!"

"Sparky!"

"Oh dear arceus!"

"She needs medical attention! NOW!"

A flash of bright light. And then Kate faded into the black.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Yep that's the end! Kate dies!**

***feels the furious death stares of the readers***

**Hey, hey I'm kidding! Chillax! She won't die! You don't honestly think I'd kill off one of my star characters right now do you? It would totally ruin the rest of the story.**


	27. Together Again

***narrowly avoids the knives readers threw***

**You guys must really feel for Kate! That last chapter earned me a LOT of responses, reviews and pm's! Of course Kate's not dead. You think I'd end my fanfic now while I was on a roll? Plus there are several scenes I am dying to write! One of which is actually coming very, very soon. I think you might like it.**

***uses the knives to spell out Read, Review and Enjoy***

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate's sense of awareness was the first to return. It didn't feel like she was in cold water, pounded against metal. More like warm and cozy under some blankets, in a quiet but relaxing room. She felt safe and at ease. A tad sore and some sharp pains here and there. Overall, better than before. She slowly opened her eyes, trying to adjust to the sunlight. Kate found she was back in her room at the ranger base, in bed.

"You're finally awake!"

Kate's gave a small groan before shifting her head to see who was beside her. Elaine sat in a chair nearby, setting a magazine away and smiling at Kate. Chia was snuggled up next to Kate, delighted to see her friend awake.

"What happened…?" Kate managed to ask.

"You blacked out after stopping a ship from sinking, sweetie." Elaine replied. "Those were some serious injuries you got. You've been out for two days."

Kate looked over at her arm. Bandaged right up, with a few patches of band-aids here and there. Even some on her other arm and one small one on the side of her face. Kate assumed her legs were covered in them as well.

"Is everyone ok? Did…did I save the ship?" Kate asked.

"You're a real lifesaver, Sparky. Every pokemon on that ship survived unharmed because of your heroics." Elaine answered. "It's all over the news."

The mechanic handed Kate a newspaper (oh, so it wasn't a magazine…). Kate could see the ship did crash but….hey wasn't that…

"Ascension Square?" Kate recognized that Pledge Stone anywhere.

"That's where Barlow crashed it. After he got all the pokemon out, they searched the ship for you. I was terrified when they ran into the base with you in such bad shape." Elaine explained.

Well there goes the pier…but Barlow did do a good job. Kate wanted to go thank him for that. She started to get up.

"Hey you've only been up for a second after a two day wipe-out with all sorts of batters and bruises! You sure you don't want to rest?" Elaine asked.

"Heck no." Kate replied, feeling her energy returning

"That is so like you." Elaine sweatdropped. "But everyone's been dying to see you awake and back to normal. We even have some good news for ya."

Kate stumbled on her feet for a moment. With Elaine's help, Kate was stable again and walked with her down the stairs. They opened the door to find everyone, even Bertha and Ollie, gathered around talking. Upon seeing Kate, they cheered.

"SPARKY!" Luana pounced, hug-squeezing Kate. "We were so worried! Thank Arceus you're up!"

"Choking! Not breathing!" Kate gagged.

"Hey she's hurt enough Luana! We don't wanna kill her!" Crawford laughed.

Luana released her death grip.

"Good to see you're up! We were worried!" Barlow said.

"Elaine told me about the ship. Nice work, boss." Kate told him.

"Me? You're the hero here! If it hadn't been for you, neither of us or the pokemon would be here now." Barlow shook his head. "Heck, even the Union's impressed!"

"So impressed that they're making you top ranger!" Luana added.

No. Way. Did Kate hear those words just right?

"What did you just say…?" Kate gasped.

"Erma stopped by after the incident to tell you in person but uh…heh…you were knocked out cold." Crawford explained. "But its official. You're top ranger number 11! Congrats!"

Another round of cheers.

"In fact, the top ranger initiation was scheduled today. But Erma said if you wanted to postpone that you cou…" Elaine was about to say.

"What? I'm not missing out on that! I can fight those Dim Sun jerks another round no problem!" Kate already felt pumped up.

"Shall we tell the Union you'll be there today then, Sparky?" Crawford grinned.

"Definitely." Kate nodded.

"Becca…" Barlow turned to the operator.

"Already on it." She said, dialing the number and making the call.

"Well then. If your little ranger's going off to the Union, how about a party first?" Bertha suggested. "I brought over enough milk pudding!"

"YEAH!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"_As a leader, I'd like to say a few parting words to end our send-off party. I always knew this day would come. You're not the sort to start and finish as a Ranger in the sticks like this. When I handed you that styler, I already got that feeling. I just never expected the day to arrive so soon."_

"_We can laugh or cry about it. It makes me sad to see you leave for the Union. But it fills me with pride to see you go so far. If I had to put it simply, it's a cause for celebration!"_

The party went splendidly. Needless to say the milk pudding was as tasty as ever. Everyone had a good time, laughing and crying over the big news. Even Ms. April, Tessa and Megan came by to congratulate the girl and make sure she wasn't damaged too hard. Barlow gave a speech alongside 9 toasts of milk.

"_Even as a top ranger, once you've been under our wing, we make it our responsibility to look after ya. So don't you dare mess up! But…no matter what happens, where you go…you'll never be Kate. You'll always be Sparky to us. Thanks you for everything. We've enjoyed every minute of our time together."_

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate departed from the base and gave one last look around Vientown. True, she could always come back for a visit. But it felt….different. The winds of change were upon her. Things were never going to be the same. Yet as sad as it felt, Kate was also proud and filled with joy. With that, she left Vientown and went into the Vien forest.

"_Hey, you're not so wobbly now."_ Chia noticed. _"Lookin good."_

"Feelin good." Kate took in a deep breath.

Thank you asprin. It took a load off. Kate was able to get to Lookout Ridge after the steep climb. She took a moment to take in the view. The Altru tower was starting to grow. It would be cool view from the top. Maybe Kate could get a tour there with Issac's help when it was done.

"Hey lucky!"

Kate looked around. She soon heard a flapping noise and looked up. It was the green haired girl from the Union, Top Ranger Wendy! And on a staraptor? Oh that looked so cool…

"Finally found ya!" Wendy lowered the staraptor she was flying on. "Got orders from Chairperson Erma to pick you up. Wow…the rumors on those injuries of yours are true after all."

"What was your first clue?" Kate teased.

"Surprised you made it so far. Well we can't keep the others waiting. Get on up!" Wendy said.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Why is it we only meet when you get hurt?"

Kate sweatdropped as Murph greeted her.

"I've been wishing to convey to you how joyous it was for me to learn of your promotion to the highly executive domain of the Top Rangers, where only the cream de la…." Murph paused. "Ok I can't do all that! Point is, congrats!"

"Thanks for shortening it up!" Kate smiled. "Cause frankly, I didn't understand one word you said before."

"Hey what're we doin out here? We better get inside for your initiation!" Murph said.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Effective immediately, the Ranger Union certifies you to the position of Top Ranger. You are hereby recognized as eleventh and one of only twelve top rangers in the world. The peace of Almia is under serious threat. We need your help."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"I'm glad to see you made it here Kate." Erma greeted. "Hastings was getting impatient over the fact we might have had to postpone our initiation."

"Impatient?" Hastings looked over at the Chairperson.

"The injuries aren't too serious. Besides, I can fight ten thousand Dim Sun armies easy!" Kate told them, feeling a bit energetic.

"Aren't we confident?" Erma chuckled. "We'll get started once our twelfth top ranger arrives."

"Twelve?" Kate asked.

"You didn't hear? There's a second ranger who got promoted alongside you." Hastings said. "….and speaking of which, I think I hear him coming."

"Sorry for being late!"

Kate turned around.

….

"Keith!"

"Kate!"

"I had no idea! So the other new ranger is you, Kate?" Keith was just as shocked as Kate was.

Erma and Hastings couldn't help laughing. The two rangers turned their attention back to them.

"Ahahahaha! Caught you off guard eh? To punish Dim Sun, we needed more top rangers." Hastings said.

"Keith, you've proved yourself over and over again. You've got the makings of a good top ranger." Erma looked at Kate. "And Kate, you've been a very big help discovering information about Dim Sun and have been helping to take them down. Your most recent mission was life threatening but you managed to tackle it head on with the bravery and skills of a Top Ranger."

Kate saw Keith shoot her a concerned look.

"And here, is the symbol of a Top Ranger. Your styler."

Hastings presented the top stylers to Kate and Keith. Kate took hers, feeling pride and joy rush through her sense. This had to be one of the best days in her entire life! It was worth posing over about!

After a quick explanation how the styler worked and short speech about Top Rangers from Hastings, Erma began to speak.

"Keith, we know why you're late. There was some Dim Sun issues in Pueltown and you stopped to help." Erma said. "The townspeople phoned in their thanks. Now that is to be expected of Top Rangers."

The redhead seemed proud of what he did. Kate prayed to Arceus that it wouldn't add to his much inflated ego.

"We'll let you two get adjusted. Your room is 9-A." Erma informed them.

"Wait…we share a room together?"Keith asked, surprised as Kate was.

"Top Rangers are assigned to each other as partners, to help out in missions and emergency situations. Every Top Ranger shares a room together." Erma explained.

"Like Wendy?" Kate said.

"Exactly. Her partner is Sven but he's out on patrol right now." Erma answered. "I'll leave you two to catch up."

"Wait Erma, shouldn't we introduce them to the operators?" Hastings suggested.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Everyone gathered on the third floor, where the operators worked. Two were in their chairs but it was impossible to see them from the angle they stood. One operator Kate knew was on his way back to his place.

"Hey Marcus!" Kate greeted.

Marcus came over.

"Congrats on the promotion! Didn't think I'd see you again so soon!" Marcus laughed.

"You know this guy?" Keith asked.

"Yeah, I came to the Union for a meeting and Marcus showed me around." Kate replied.

Keith had an unusual look on his face before turning back to Erma and Hastings.

"Linda!" Hastings called out.

A chair swung around to reveal a blue haired girl, about a year or two older.

"These the new top rangers? Hi I'm Linda! I'm said to be chatty but I don't think I am. Anyways, I'll be here to help!" Linda cheerfully introduced herself.

"Is she our assigned operator?" Kate asked.

"Nope. That would be the operator number three, on the far left." Hastings responded.

The third chair swung around.

"The top rangers are here? Ooh I wonder…who…they…."

….

"RHYTHMI?"

"KATE! KEITH!"

Another round of laughter from Erma and Hastings.

"Sorry we didn't say anything!" Erma apologized. "But you three being here was no coincidence! We heard about your pledge from Ms. April, the teacher from school. When Keith and Kate were promoted, we felt the need to bring the last member of their group with them."

"Let's let them get settled in their rooms." Hastings advised. "You three may have the rest of the day to rest up."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"I can't believe we're all here! Together again!"

They gathered in Kate and Keith's new room, since it was the larger of their rooms (two beds, good sized area, bathroom). Rhythmi's was right next door in 9-B.

"We won't have to call each other anymore!" Kate said.

"Totally! And….hey Keith? When did you get so tall?" Rhythmi asked the ruby haired ranger.

Kate noticed that Keith was getting tall. He shot up a foot since the last time they met! And….did he have….muscles? Yeah, it looked like it. Kate had seen him through a screen so many times but she never realized that Keith had been improving his looks since they last got together. No doubt he'd be popular with the girls.

"Can't call me short anymore." Keith bragged. "Maybe you'll ease up on the heckling."

"Heck no." Rhythmi giggled. "Wouldn't dream of it, _Keith Darren Gardner_."

"How did you…?" Keith stammered.

"I looked through the records of rangers shortly before getting promoted." Rhythmi smirked. "I wanted to see what your full name was out of curiosity."

Keith mumbled something Kate couldn't hear.

"Come on. I even did it to _Katelle Sora Leon_." Rhythmi looked at Kate.

Kate felt herself grow red. Keith turned to Kate, deviously smiling.

"Katelle Sora Leon?" He questioned.

"That's my fullname." Kate sighed.

"I think it sounds pretty!" Rhythmi complimented.

"Where'd all that come from?" Keith asked.

"My mom loved unique names so she made up the name Katelle. And Sora can either mean sky or songbird in different languages." Kate explained.

"It suits you perfectly! Oh and to be fair here, my full name is Rhythmi Serafina Valentine." Rhythmi told them.

"Sounds elegant!" Kate clapped enthusiastically.

"Now that she's shared info, you should too Kate. As in…WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOURSELF?" Keith suddenly yelled.

"Keith!" Kate shushed, trying to calm him down.

"Oh these rooms are almost soundproof. Unless you're screaming at the top of your lungs, nobody can hear you." Rhythmi reassured. "So if there was anything going on in here…"

Keith gave Rhythmi a glare before turning back to Kate. Kate took a deep breath and recounted the mission that took place only days ago.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

…**what? Oh right. Ending of chapter. *slaps head* Ahem….**

**We have the trio reunited again! Keith may be happy to see Kate but not so thrilled about those injuries now is he? And Rhtyhmi doesn't even bother waiting on the teasefest.**

**Your next chapter shall come in due time! As in soon.**


	28. Nightmares

**Now that the trio arrived at the Union, we're going to have a lot of adventures in store for everyone! Are we going to have dangerous adventures and hilarious situations? Maybe explore some inner emotions? Ahahaha! You'll have to read on!**

**GARY! YOU ARE GOING TO READ AND REVIEW THIS CHAPER! AND YOU ARE GONNA LIKE IT!**

**Sorry. Spongebob reference couldn't resist!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own spongebob or pokemon**

**Claimer: I do own changes in character & design as well as all bonus stories**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Hurry! I want to meet Sven!"

Kate ran ahead while Keith was right behind. Man she was excited to meet the other top ranger. Then again she was excited about a lot of things. They came to the break room. Wendy was there, talking to some guy. She noticed the two new Top Rangers right away.

"There they are! Red and Lucky!" She called.

Red and Lucky?

"Red and Lucky?" Kate asked.

"Red for monsieur rubyhead over there." The guy pointed to Keith. "Wendy was the one who came up with Lucky."

"With what Kate's been through on that boat mission, she's pretty darn lucky to make it out alive and kicking!" Wendy said.

"Don't remind me." Keith thought bitterly.

He thought he was having a heart attack when he listened to Kate's story. Aw man…those injuries...that was another close encounter with death. How many times had this been? The sharpedo and the knife held to her throat at school? Of course who knew if there was something Kate neglected to mention. Still…Kate may be a skilled ranger who could bounce back up but he didn't want to see her get hurt like that. Or get hurt at all.

"Name's Sven." The guy shook Kate and Keith's hand. "I'm Wendy's partner!"

Sven was tall, muscular and tan. He wore cowboy attire with matching western clothing, only it seemed to be much more modern and chill. Seemed Wendy's age, which looked anywhere from eighteen to twenty.

"Nice to meet another top ranger!" Kate said cheerfully.

"Hm. You're kind of cute." Sven rubbed her head.

Two minutes in and Keith already judged Sven to be a jerk, an idiot, a womanizer. He was feeling the hate. Keith was burning up, furious at the little remark.

"My partner pokemon is Zap, a luxray. He's around the Union somewhere…" Sven glanced around.

"For the record, the staraptor you rode on Kate is my partner pokemon. Her name's Flight." Wendy said.

"That's why she seemed so well tamed. Flight's a really good flyer." Kate commented.

"She's my pride and joy!" Wendy beamed.

"_You going to introduce me anytime soon?"_ Wave climbed onto his shoulder.

"This is Wave, my buizel." Keith introduced, scratching Wave's head.

"Chia's my partner." Kate piped in, with the pachirisu on her own shoulder.

Wave turned to look at the electric pokemon and greeted each other with smiles. At that moment, Rhythmi entered the break room. She seemed awfully cheerful.

"I heard Sven was back. Good to meet you." Rhythmi greeted.

"Pleasure's all mine." Sven tipped his hat.

Oh please. Keith rolled his eyes.

"Where were you?" Kate asked.

"Just talking to Marcus. It's great to be working with such a great guy." Rhythmi answered.

….

"BOYFRIEND!" Keith suddenly shouted. "Rhythmi's got herself a boyfriend!"

"YOU IDIOT!" Rhythmi smacked him with a nearby magazine. "He's not my boyfriend! I only met him a day ago! Not my type!"

"Then what is your type?" Wendy asked.

"Nice, sweet, friendly and helpful. It'd be good if he were a little smart and good looking. And then same interests…" Rhythmi responded.

"Marcus seems to be like that." Kate said.

"Yeah Marcus does fit your description almost perfectly." Sven agreed.

"I hear wedding bells!" Keith sang.

"SHUT UP!" Rhythmi hit him again. "I am not going to fall for him!"

Right about there, Marcus entered the room.

"Whose falling for who?" He asked.

Rhythmi covered Keith's mouth before he could start up again.

"No one!" She turned pink. "Just joking around!"

"Oh ok. Hey, it's kind of slow right now so how about I show you the areas where you're struggling?" Marcus offered, grabbing a cup from the water cooler.

"Sure!" Rhythmi shoved Keith away. "Let's go!"

She followed Marcus on his way out, a bit too eagerly.

"Knew it." Keith snickered.

"They seem good for each other." Kate said.

This was just too perfect. Finally, some revenge for those jokes and teasing Rhythmi did to him since school. Rhythmi, though, would probably return fire twice as hard. But nothing like fighting fire with fire to make things interesting.

"They're not the only ones though." Sven mumbled suggestively, with Wendy giggling.

Kate missed it. But Keith didn't. Turning red, Keith shot a glare at the two before Kate could see him.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"You done in there?"

"Yeah." Keith replied.

Kate came out of the bathroom, which had Keith staring. Her pajamas were simple. Just a blue t-shirt with a lightning bolt in the middle and matching shorts. Yet it looked good on her somehow.

"Wow what a day." Kate sighed.

"You can say that again." Keith agreed.

Kate then took out the hair-ties, her hair falling gracefully down her shoulders. Keith couldn't take his eyes off her. She was….just….wow…..Keith had seen her hair down before. But now…now she seemed even prettier. This wasn't through a screen. It was the real deal. And it was way better.

_Poof!_

"Keith?" Kate was stating at him now. "You…uh…"

Great. Just freakin great.

"I'll open a window. I guess it was a little warm in here." Kate offered, doing so.

Thank heavens she was clueless.

_Knock! Knock!_

"Hide!" Kate whispered.

"I'm on it." Keith quickly got under the bed while Kate gave him his pajamas.

The door opened but Keith wasn't sure whose emerald green nightgown and slippers it was.

"Hey Kate! Where's the redhead?" It was Rhythmi.

"I think he went to go get something." Kate shrugged. "What's up?"

"Wendy wanted to ask you something. Can't remember what." Rhythmi told her.

"Alright, lets go see her!"

Both girls ran out of the room, closing the door behind them. Another disaster has been avoided. Though Keith had a feeling this would only be the start of many, many, many transformations. He would have to learn to control that body heat better. Especially if Kate was going to let down her hair every night. Damn curse…

Keith settled onto his bed. Wave already fell fast asleep. And soon enough, Keith found himself falling to sleep as well.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_Voices….voices were inside his head. Keith heard a mix of two voices, saying something he didn't know. It felt like he was passing through memories, time eras…._

"_Lyrica!"_

"_Gavan!"_

_Those were the only two names he recognized. Why did those names ring a bell? Keith had never even heard them before. He felt a strange mix of emotions. Happiness, joy and some unidentifiable feeling swirled strong at certain points. But near the end came more pain, loss and sadness. Near the end, Keith could feel everything become swallowed up in darkness and finally vanish…._

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Keith woke up with a start in the middle of the night. He gasped for breath and tried to calm down. What kind of dream was that? Why were the names 'Lyrica' and 'Gavan" stuck in his head? But the question died when Keith heard a small whimper. He looked at the other bed where his partner slept.

"Kate?" he whispered.

She was crying in her sleep, troubled by something. Poor girl…had to be nightmares. Keith got up and walked over to her.

"Kate? Kate! Wake up!" Keith shook her arm.

Kate opened her eyes, all teared up.

"K…Keith?" Her voice trembled.

"You were having nightmares." Keith told her. "Are you…"

Without warning, the brunette shot up and clung to Keith. Keith turned a bright red, though it was hard to see in the darkened room. He carefully put his arms around Kate who was quivering.

"I'm so sorry…" Kate's voice was muffled.

"What on earth were those nightmares about?" Keith asked.

Kate didn't say anything. Instead she held onto Keith harder. Meanwhile the redhead was back and forth between extreme body heat rising and extreme concern over his best friend. Without thinking, he started to stroke her head. Kate seemed to calm down slightly to it.

"Darkrai." Kate whispered.

"What?" Keith looked down at her.

"The nightmare….was about darkrai." Kate said.

"Darkrai? Isn't that a pokemon shrouded in nightmares and darkness?" Keith asked.

Kate nodded.

"So what about darkrai?" Keith questioned, gently.

At first, Kate was quiet. Then a sigh.

"I….I was dreaming it was captured. By some cruel people. And it was calling for help." Kate mumbled.

A long period of silence. Keith wasn't exactly sure what to make of it.

"It usually isn't like that…" Kate whispered.

"Like what?" Keith asked.

"The darkrai usually tries to warn me that…that there's danger. That somethings coming." Kate sniffled.

"What's coming?" Keith questioned.

No response. But Keith was starting to develop some more questions for the girl.

"Kate? Have you had nightmares about darkrai before?"

She nodded.

"Have….have you ever met one?"

Kate hesitated. Keith could feel a tear or two dampen his shirt.

"Yes."

"When?" Keith waited for the answer.

"The accident six years ago."

Keith's eyes widened.

"It….it killed my brother…and attacked me." Kate was starting to cry. "I was in…in a three week coma. I had nightmares the entire time…and ever since…"

Oh arceus no.

"I don't want to fall back into the darkness…" Kate whimpered.

"There, there." Keith held onto her tighter. "I'm here for you. I always will be."

How many nights had she suffered since then? All by her lonesome self? And it was caused by a single pokemon. Thanks to that darkrai, Kate was in pain. Keith swore he'd find a way to make that darkrai pay. But also to protect Kate. To make sure she wouldn't get her body or mind torn up again.

Kate's sobs soon died down, eventually stopping altogether. Keith found she had fallen back asleep. With a silent chuckle, he softly set her back into bed. Then Keith went back to his own bed and let sleep wash over him.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**And I served a chapter chock full of romance. Isn't it just sweet? Plus we got to reveal some heavy info about Kate's past and mysterious nightmares. **

**Our waiter will serve you next chapter in just moments! Well…if moments meant soon. **


	29. Out Shopping

**What goes on peoples? Ready for reading and reviewing? I know you guys might like the surprise I'm throwing in there! **

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Good morning, Kate."

"Morning Chairperson Erma." Kate greeted cheerfully.

It had been several days since her nightmare. Since then, Kate had been patrolling alongside Keith and getting used to her new life. And life was certainly exciting at the Union. There never was a dull moment.

"Mornin Lucky!"

Sven and Wendy came over, reporting for duty. Those two were awesome friends. They're funny and always up for a little adventure. Even if they were busy, there was always other friends like Rhythmi, Marcus and Murph. Kate got to know the researchers and learned more about Hastings and Erma.

"So where's Red?" Sven asked.

"He slept in." Kate lied. "He'll be here soon."

Wrong. Keith woke up as a Pikachu. Must've transformed during his sleep.

"Achoo!"

And there he was.

"Keith! You ok?" Kate asked.

"I'm good. Probably just allergies." Keith shrugged it off and joined the others.

"What's up for today, Chairperson Erma?" Wendy asked.

"Today you four will be handling something different." Erma answered. "Wendy and Sven. You two remember the Aureate Gala?"

"Oh yeah. Last year's was a bit over the top though." Sven said.

"What's the…um…Aur….Aur…." Kate stumbled over the world.

"Aureate Gala. It's an annual charity event that features a fancy ball party in Pueltown. Raises money for endangered pokemon." Wendy explained.

"The founder of the charity is an old friend of Erma's and helped her fund for the ranger union way back when." Sven went on.

"Exactly. Each year at the Gala, we have rangers attend to thank my friend Cheryl for her valiant services and supporting us." Erma said. "The next Gala happens to be tonight. So I want you four to go and attend."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"I can't believe we have to attend a stupid ball…"

The rangers were walking to Vientown with Rhythmi to Pueltown so they could get their formal attire. Keith wasn't exactly happy about their current assignment.

"Are you kidding? I've always wanted to dress up and go to the ball!" Rhythmi squealed.

"I hate tuxedos!" Keith griped.

"And I'm not fond of dresses either." Kate sighed. "But Wendy, Sven? What's the ball like?"

"Basically classical music, fancy dancing and fruit drinks. Too boring for my tastes." Sven shrugged.

"Fantastic." Keith muttered.

"A little boring for you. But I was so busy dancing! A lot of guys asked me out after that!" Wendy bragged.

Keith coughed a little. Odd…he was getting a little sniffly and congested. Weird. But his attention was brought back to the group as they started to split up the clothes shopping. Sven and Keith went one way for tuxedos while the girls went for dresses.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"I hate tuxes!"

Kate came out of the dressing room. He was wearing a slick black and white tuxedo, a classic. Sven looked him over, like a judge.

"Not bad at all, man. Very classy." Sven commented. "And I think the counter girl is staring."

Keith could see from the corner of his eye that the girl was glancing at him with interest. The ranger looked at himself through the mirror. Actually…the tuxedo did look good on him. Made him look like a suave, sophisticated spy from the movies.

"If only these things were comfortable…" Keith sighed.

"Dude, they're tuxedos. They're not supposed to be comfortable." Sven chuckled. "And I imagine ball gowns are the same way. The girls must be trying on dresses right about now."

Keith pushed away the thought as he went back into the changing room.

"So tell me about you and Lucky." Sven requested.

"What do you mean?" Keith wrestled the bowtie off.

"I mean, about how you _like_ her." Sven said.

"ACK!"

Bam!

Shocked at the remark, Keith tripped over a pair of pants some guy left in the room from earlier.

"I do not like her like that!" Keith objected, getting up. "We're friends! Went to ranger school together, kept in contact through styler calls and now we're partners. Nothing more."

"Really?" Sven questioned. "Wonderful! I'll get her to be my date for the night then. She's awfully cute."

Keith froze, terrified. Moments passed in silence.

"Ahahahaha! You do like her!" Sven laughed.

"_*&$^%$*%_!" Keith yelled, then muttered more curses.

"Relax dude! I'm not after Kate! Wendy's the girl I like. I'm hoping to hang out with her tonight." Sven reassured. "The idea of my girl dancing with other guys doesn't appeal to me either."

"Kate isn't _my_ girl." Keith told him coldly.

Though Keith could only imagine Kate being whisked off by some random stranger. She was cute enough for that to happen. Unless, of course, Keith kept her occupied all night.

"But you wish she was. I know how it is." Sven said.

"I wish nothing." Keith managed to slip out of the tuxedo and back into his casual clothes.

"Come on. We can even make a bet. Who asks their girl out first?" Svan challenged.

"NO THANK YOU." Keith rejected. "Anyways, shouldn't you be finding a tuxedo for yourself?"

"Already found one. I'll use the changing room once you're done." Sven responded.

Keith stepped out and traded spots with Sven. For a little bit, he coughed some more and grabbed a tissue to blow his nose.

"Ooh. Sounds like you've got a cold." Sven said. "Hopefully you'll be feelin better by tonight."

A cold? Oh no….

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

At the same moment, Kate stepped out of the dressing room for the gazillionth time. She was wearing a short, pink, sort of puffy dress with rainbow glitter.

"I look like an exploded cupcake." Kate sweatdropped. "Why did we even get this one?"

"Dress number thirty two is a failure." Rhythmi sighed.

"Good thing we did me first." Wendy chuckled.

"You look good in everything! I don't!" Kate groaned.

"Oh come on Kate! You're pretty! You could win the heart of any guy with just pajamas! All we need is the perfect dress!" Rhythmi encouraged. "Speaking of which, how many more dresses are in there?"

"Just one." Kate answered, going back inside the dressing room.

"I hope we're done soon. Better not keep the guys waiting." Wendy said.

Kate tugged the hideous pink dress off. She slipped into the new dress with ease. This dress wasn't all bad. The other ones were tight, bare, itchy or overall weird feeling. But the dress she wore was soft and felt cool against her warm skin. Not to mention it wasn't that bad looking either.

"Hurry up!" Rhythmi grew anxious.

Kate stepped out from the room. The girls gasped as they looked at Kate.

"…well?" Kate asked.

"You. Look. Amazing."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Not as big a chapter but it leads up to the main event! I've been looking forward to writing the ball scene for a little while. Course what might seem like a romantic night may not go according to expectations….**

**You, readers, are formally invited to wait for the next update that is sure to be on its way.**


	30. Dancing in Moonlight

**Cue the rose petals and…um…lovey stuff! Cause its romance time! We've got four rangers off to the ball, as per Erma's orders. Thing is, what'll happen between Keith and Kate? You guys seem up for the challenge and delight over reading this. I shan't disappoint you!...I hope! **

**By the way, there were a few questions over what 'aureate gala' means. Gala is another word for ball or fancy party. And when I was looking for a name, I needed something fancy. So I pulled out the thesaurus and used 'aureate', which means brilliant, fancy and/or flowery. **

"_**Lire, revior et profiter!"**_

**A little romantic French for the chapter. Read, review and enjoy!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Will you hurry up?"

Keith impatiently waited in the halls alongside Sven. Both were wearing their tuxedos; Keith in cool black and Sven in a slick white one.

"We're helping Kate with her hair!" Rhythmi called from the bedroom.

"Just a second!" Wendy said.

"You said that twenty minutes ago!" Keith shouted.

"Dude…they're girls." Sven reminded. "This is actually going faster than normal."

Keith rolled his eyes. Kate wasn't normally the girl who take so long getting ready. But of course Wendy and Rhythmi just had to get involved. Speak of the devil, Rhythmi exited the room.

"Well?" Keith questioned.

"Just another moment." Rhythmi replied. "We're making your date look good."

"She is NOT my date!" Keith hissed.

"I'll tell you if he ever does get the courage to dance with her." Sven told Rhythmi.

"Why don't we also include you and Wendy in there?" Keith shot back.

Sven stared at him, astonished he said that. But attention was turned when Wendy called out 'ready'. The door opened, with the staraptor master coming out first. She didn't look half-bad. A short pearl-white dress with an emerald sash & bow.

"Good job." Keith complimented.

"You clean up nice." Svan certainly seemed impressed.

"I should be saying that to you two men." Wendy giggled. "But I'm nothing compared to Lucky."

Kate took a few shy steps out of the room, taking Keith's breath away. Her dress was long and sky-blue which sparkled like the light in her eyes. Kate's hair was let down, silky and smooth, and with a light blue lily hair pin. She was beautiful, like an angel. Keith almost expected wings to pop out of her back. A fit of coughing from his cold brought him back to reality.

"Did I do ok?" Kate nervously asked.

"You look awesome!" Sven exclaimed, though his eyes were mostly on Wendy.

"I'm so jealous Kate! You look like a princess!" Rhythmi was getting teary eyed again.

"What do you think, Red?" Sven challenged.

"Well…" Keith cleared his throat. "You didn't improve much."

"Geez are you blind?" Wendy rolled her eyes. "Aw well. We better get going. Thanks for the help Rhythmi."

"Anytime. I want stories for when you guys come back!" Rhythmi said.

"See you soon!" Wave and Chia cheered, deciding to wait behind rather than go with.

Everyone in good moods, they set off for the ball.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Keith was hardly paying attention to the group as they walked to Pueltown (they agreed going by staraptor wasn't the best way to preserve the formal attire). There were two things on his mind. First of all, the cold wasn't exactly striking at a good time. It couldn't have come at a worse moment! But number two, and more important, was Kate.

"Keith?"

She was so gorgeous. He was trying to avoid looking in her direction. Not easy, obviously. Her beauty would outshine any girl at that formal ball. But it would attract the attention of the _other_ guys. Kate would be dancing with them all night long. Worst part was, Keith knew he might not be able to stop them all.

"Keith!"

Keith turned to face her. Oh arceus she was beautiful…

"You seem a little sick tonight." Kate noticed.

Keith made sure Wendy and Sven were out of earshot. Good thing they were laughing over something else.

"Yeah I have a cold. And I am going to need your help. BIG time." Keith kept his voice low.

"What do you mean?" Kate asked.

"Whenever I catch a cold, the curse goes into glitch mode. It gets a lot easier for me to transform." Keith explained, coughing slightly.

"Don't worry. I've got your back." Kate smiled.

Why why WHY did she have to be so cute? This was making things even harder for him! Thank heavens the weather was cool. In no time, the quad reached the dance hall. Keith spaced out for the most part as they met Erma's friend outside. After some introductions and a small chat, they all went inside.

"Wow!" Kate gasped.

Keith had to admit it was extravagant. Chandeliers hanging high above the ceiling, many well-dressed people dancing across the floor and classical music playing. The only issue? It was incredibly stuffy. Keith knew he wouldn't last long. But he managed to spot stairs that led to a second story lookout and a few doors that held outdoor balconies.

"I wonder if there's any punch." Kate said.

"I'll get it." Keith offered, seeing the snack table nearby. "Wait by one of the tables."

Glass cups just for punch? How much fancier could this party be? Keith grabbed two and started to go back towards the table. But he stopped in his tracks, seeing a blonde guy talking to Kate. He might have been three or four years older. The guy smirked suggestively at as he was talking to her. Keith waited till he left before returning to Kate.

"Who was he?" Keith quizzed, handing her a cup.

"Dunno. He wanted to dance." Kate took a sip.

"And you said…?" Keith questioned, trying not to sound like he was interrogating.

"I told him no. He insisted but I really don't want to dance." Kate replied, as if it was nothing.

Great. Just ten minutes in and already some stranger was trying to sweep the girl off her feet. Although Keith could see other guys were staring right at her. They'd probably race on over if he weren't with her. Keith knew once he left, someone would steal her away. All the more reason to stick by Kate's side.

"Where's Wendy and Sven?" Keith gulped his fruit punch.

"Wendy's dancing with someone and Sven charged into the dancefloor." Kate answered.

_Poof!_

There wasn't smoke or a transformation. But Keith knew something was off.

"Dammit…" He muttered.

"What? Are you going to transform?" Kate whispered.

"Not yet but..." Keith sighed.

He, without being seen, pulled a Pikachu tail from behind him. His Pikachu tail.

"What the…?" Kate was taken aback.

"The curse is glitched and these things sometimes happen." Keith told her. "I don't have long before full transformation. I've got to get to the balcony."

"Hide your tail in your jacket and run." Kate suggested.

Keith did so and got up from his seat. It meant leaving Kate behind but he couldn't let his secret become exposed. The ranger dodged through crowds, bumping into people. Keith managed to climb up the stairs and got to the doors. He was dangerously close to poofing. Keith tried to open the first door. Locked. Same with two and three. But fourth one was free! Keith slipped right outside.

_Poof!_

He made it. Barely avoided the chaos. But he made it. Now all he had to do was wait outside to change back, get changed and head back inside to Kate. Although…she was probably going to be dancing with the other men. Dang it. She'd never get a chance to sit down. Kate was irresistible.

Keith gathered up his clothes. Stupid freakin curse…it ruined everything! It took away his chance to hang out with Kate. Now the girl was off with some jerk and he wouldn't see her till the end of the night. Arcues….

"Keith?"

The door opened. Kate stepped through, locking the door behind her.

"Kate?" Keith blinked. "What are you doing here? Aren't you going to dance?"

"I was offered by a few guys but I turned them all down." Kate responded. "Just wanted to make sure you got outside."

What a relief!

"I'm good." Keith gave a pikachu's thumb up.

Kate walked over to the edge, leaning over a stone railing. Keith leapt up next to her.

"You're not going back inside?" Keith asked.

"Nah. Too warm for my liking. And I don't want to leave you alone all night." Kate answered.

Keith stared at her. The moonlight made Kate even more radiant. It gave her a soft, angelic glow. Her eyes let the light dance, filled with innocence and spirit. But…what was with him? Keith had been thinking nothing else but Kate the entire time.

_Poof!_

One explosion of smoke later and Keith was back to human form again. Kate gave an 'eep' and turned away. This was the second time he was naked in front of his best friend. Keith mumbled an apology and quickly changed into his tuxedo.

"Glad you're back to normal." Kate said when he was done.

"No kidding." Keith sweatdropped.

Music flowed from behind the door. A new song was starting up.

"Would you like to dance?" Keith asked without thinking.

Kate was surprised (though the redhead was too). It looked like she might take up his invintation…but…she was also uncertain, hesitant.

"Um…I don't know how…" Kate murmured.

That would explain why she didn't take up any of the invitations from the guys before. Keith smiled and reached his hand out to her.

"I can teach you." Keith offered.

Kate looked at him with fascination. She took a deep breath and grabbed his hand. Keith swung her close, positioning her hands in typical dance fashion. Holding onto her, he started to show her the steps used in ballroom dancing. Kate stepped on his feet often. But after awhile, she seemed to get the hang of it.

"You're really good at this. But where does a guy like you learn to dance?" Kate questioned curiously.

"My mom's friends and co-workers hosted a lot of events in Lilycove, some of them balls like this. She always made me attend with her so I picked up lessons from the guests." Keith replied.

"You never did tell me about your family." Kate said.

"Not much to tell. It's just me and my mom. She works for the Weather Institute, just outside of Fortree." Keith explained. "My dad wanted to be a pokemon trainer and decided his dreams were more important than family."

"I'm sorry…" Kate whispered.

"It's fine. I hardly knew him. He left when I was four and never came back." Keith waved it off.

"We never really knew our dads." Kate smiled. "I guess we're alike in some ways."

Ah that's right. Kate didn't even know her father. The guy had been in an accident before Kate was born. But she hadn't just lost him. Kate became an orphan after barely a week. Her sister then died…and so did her brother years later. She was completely alone. No…she wasn't alone. Keith wasn't going to leave her anytime soon.

His heart was pounding. Keith was mentally hoping Kate couldn't feel it, with her so close to him. What would a sweet girl like her say if she actually did feel it? And why was his heart beating so fast and strong like a drum? All of a sudden, his brain snapped. Keith knew why.

'_I love her.'_

Love…there was no other word to describe what he was feeling. Keith had fallen in love with Kate. Not just attracted. But pure, undeniable love. When was it the redhead fell for her? It felt like it was long before that night. Was it during the phone calls? Or back in school? Was it possible that he had loved her since day 1? I mean, why else would he take notice in her? Keith had been a foolish, arrogant kid (still was). He put those feelings into rivaling competition and that brash attitude.

Falling in love…it's not as though Keith had meant for _that_ to happen. But seeing her for the first time lit a spark inside of him. When she strolled down the aisles with a confident but optimistic look, something inside of him turned on and came to life. Like a seed planting itself deep in him. The seed grew and grew, Keith never even noticing until now.

The poor guy wanted…no…desired Kate. Why else make a move and ask to be friends with him instead of blondie? Kate was supposed to be his alone...or so Keith thought. It took an amazing amount of willpower to resist claiming her as his own. Back then, he didn't understand that at all. How could he?

Ever since Kate brightened up his life, Keith had been transforming a lot more than ever. That first time she found out…she didn't run. Kate didn't scream, avoid him or tell another living soul about the curse. This girl stayed by his side to help him get through it. She covered for him numerous times. Thank Arcues she had no idea that most of those poof's hadn't been from the weather. It was Keith's own feelings.

As they continued to dance, memories replayed inside of Keith's head. The first day they met, the promises made by the Pledge Stone, the criminal that stole the stylers, 1 day internship, graduation…..even all the calls. And the grass whistle. Kate truly had a gift with music. It was as if her soul was singing. If only Keith could hear that gentle voice sing to him…

What was it Keith loved about Kate?

Everything. Naturally, she was a gorgeous girl with sparkling eyes that pulled him in. But it was also her fiery spirit. Kate was brave, courageous, able to face anything that stood in her way and overcome any obstacle. She was stubborn, true, but even that was too cute. The girl was funny, smart and friendly. Everything Keith could ever want and love in a girl was Kate. How could he not fall in love with her?

Now he was dancing with the girl of his dreams. It was just so perfect.

_Poof!_

And most wonderful moment had been so cruelly interrupted by the curse yet again.

"Your cold must be getting worse." Kate said, setting him down on the balcony railing.

"Yeah. That's it." Keith lied, feeling defeated.

Kate got the clothes and set them down next to him. Keith was deep in thought. But something occurred to him. Sven had only asked yesterday about him and Kate. Wendy snickered over the joke Sven made about the subject on the first day at the Union. Wave had sensed something was up. Crawford teased during the internship. And Rhythmi….aw man….she'd never let up!

"Wait a second…does _everyone_ know about this?" Keith thought, panicking.

"Hey how long had we been out here?" Kate asked.

"Hm?" Keith snapped out of it. "Dunno. Why?"

"I want to make sure Sven and Wendy didn't leave." Kate responded. "Be right back."

Kate walked off the balcony and through the doors. Keith was praying she wouldn't go dancing with anyone else. Good thing she was completely clueless about everything. The curse wore off and Keith was able to get back into his clothes. Again.

"Hey." Kate poked her head back in just as he was finished. "We're going back to the Union."

"Got it. Can't believe its that late already." Keith joined Kate as they walked through the dancehall.

Not as many people as before but still a considerable amount. More guys stared but Keith shot a dirty look at them. He returned to his usual demeanor once they met up with Wendy and Sven.

"Ah what a night!" Wendy stretched her arms as they started leaving.

"Did you dance with a lot of guys?" Kate asked her.

"A few. But mostly with Sven. He's pretty fun to dance with." Wendy answered, elated.

Sven smirked. Wendy must've missed it. Keith knew Sven had gotten his special time with her.

"And I bet you did well for yourself." Wendy nudged. "Who'd you dance with?"

"Up until Keith showed me, I really didn't know how to dance." Kate told her. "He gave me some pointers."

Sven's smirk grew bigger as he glanced at Keith. Keith sent a look that translated to _'Say anything and you'll regret it'_. The cowboy seemed to get the message.

"That was nice of you, Keith." Wendy said, not really suspecting anything.

"That's what best friends are for." Kate cheerfully told her.

Best friend….right. She was too dense to really know a thing about feelings or what others were saying about her and Keith. The truth stung a little. Especially knowing at the fact that revealing himself to her could come at way too high a risk. A risk so high that it'd be better for him to hide the secret away from Kate.

"And yet, I still love her." Keith thought.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)


	31. Pranks & Calls

**Admit it. You loved the last chapter. LOVED IT! I know you did! (if you didn't see it, go read NOW)**

**Keith finally came to term with his feelings. But it doesn't seem like he'll be confessing for a little bit yet. Especially with his dense girl completely unaware. Shall we move on ahead into our story?**

**Enjoy! Review! Read!**

…**and I totally got it backwards didn't I?**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate collapsed into bed, happy to be out of the dress and into pajamas. The night had been a long one but it wasn't as boring as Kate expected. Keith's curse made sure of it. It was thanks to pika-red that she could escape the hot aired ballroom and all the guys trying to get her to dance. As flattering as the offers were, Kate couldn't let herself be embarrassed stumbling around.

"_Would you like to dance?"_

The offer from Keith came as a big shock. But she let him teach her. Why not? It was just them. No one would make fun while they were outside, alone on the balcony. And dancing might have its use again someday. Kate had to admit Keith was a good teacher. She screwed up…a lot. But he corrected her and they glided across the floor.

Talking definitely made things go smoother. Kate had no idea that the proud ranger even knew a thing about ballroom dancing. The discussion led to family, where she heard Keith talking about his family for the first time. It was interesting to hear him open up. Growing up without a dad? Another thing they had in common.

Keith fell silent after that, deep in thought. Could be thinking about his dad. So Kate respected him and turned to her own thoughts. Most of it was random, really. Happiness over being a top ranger, denial that she was pretty (even with the dress), questions over what & when the first real mission would be….

_Poof!_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the usual cloud of smoke followed by a surprised Pikachu. It was a little disappointing. Kate was having fun and…for some strange reason, she kind of _liked _dancing with Keith. But she brushed it aside, hoping her best friend's cold wasn't getting worse. She'd hate to see him miss out on any soon-to-happen missions.

It was about then she and Keith (after turning back to human) met up with Wendy and Sven to walk home. Wendy was happy with the excitement she had during the night. Oddly, the boys stayed quiet the entire way home. Might have been tired. Erma greeted them, asking how the night went and about her friend. Sven answered the questions as some of the group's friends gathered for info.

Rhythmi, of course, wanted the full story and was hyped up about it. Kate mentioned dancing and just chilling out with Keith, nothing special. She seemed satisfied…or just accepted her friend was feeling exhausted. Either or.

Fast forward to the present. Kate saw Keith climb into his own bed, Wave beside him.

"Hey Keith?" She asked.

"Yeah?" He looked over at her.

"Thanks." Kate smiled.

Keith stared at her for a moment. He mumbled something and then the two crashed, instantly asleep.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"What a night…"

Kate faintly heard Keith get up from bed. In her half asleep stage, she could hear him take his usual shower and getting dressed. After some time, her shoulder was being shaken.

"Kate. Wake up." Keith said.

"Nnnnnngggg…" Kate groaned. "Lemme sleep."

A pause. Then a giant splash of ice water dunked onto her head.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Kate screamed, bolting straight up.

Her answer was roaring laughter from a certain redhead and his buizel.

"Good job!" Keith gave a thumbs up to Wave.

"_Nothing less than my best!"_ Wave snickered.

"Hey Chia. How about a little justified revenge?" Kate growled, clutching her pillow like a sword.

"_Let's."_ Chia sparked up.

Both guys froze for a second. But they suddenly bolted straight from the room, with the girls charging right after them. They pushed past their friends as the chase ensued down the hallway. Kate managed to corner them at the very end.

"I've got you now!" Kate snickered, raising her pillow high.

"Can't you take a joke?" Keith frantically yelled.

"It's way too early in the morning for this…" Rhythmi sighed, gathering nearby with everyone else.

"He and Wave got me drenched!" Kate told them.

"She was still asleep! I had to wake her up somehow!" Keith objected.

"Has it always been that way with those two?" Murph sweatdropped.

"Pretty much." Rhythmi muttered.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Hey where's Sven?"

Kate and Keith were hanging outside with Wendy, who was grooming Flight.

"He left hours ago to follow up a Dim Sun sighting." Wendy replied. "I offered to help but he said he'd handle it."

"Too bad he's out. Could've used his luxrays help with electrifying a certain someone…" Kate glanced at Keith.

"I said I was sorry!" Keith groaned.

"_The power on your discharge attack's improved." _Wave told Chia, sulking a bit.

"_Nothing less than my best."_ Chia mocked, using Wave's earlier words against him.

"I can't blame you for sleeping late. Almost did so myself." Wendy said.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Styler call. Keith answered his.

"Kate, Keith. We've got a mission for you." It was Erma.

"Yes Chairperson Erma?" Kate and Keith asked together.

"Sorry to ask over the styler but Sven contacted us moments ago. There's Dim Sun members overcrowding the Chroma Highland Ruins and needs a ranger or two to help him clear them out." Erma explained. "If its two rangers he asks for, two he shall have."

"Mission accepted." Keith said. "Thank you and we'll do our best.

Keith ended the call.

"Looks like we've got our first top ranger mission!" He grinned.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Short? Yes. But I wrote this chapter strictly for a little laugh or two plus scene transition. Next chapter will be longer! Promise! **

**All readers please report to the main aircraft carrier number elevendy-six where their next update is coming soon. Thank you!**


	32. Everything Dark

**To make up for the last chapter and updating todays so late, I made sure the chapter was a little longer than normal (was originally going to be two smaller chapters)! Hope you guys like it!**

**First mission with Keith and Kate as top rangers….what lies ahead for them? You gotta read, review and enjoy to figure it out!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Beautiful fields with wild pokemon about. A few log cabins scattered here and there among the hill sides and tall trees. People picnicking in the sunshine weather, enjoying the sunshine. Now imagine walking into the Chroma Highlands, where mountains would only add to the scenic wonder.

"Aw man! What's going on here?" Keith coughed.

Unfortunately, a black smog was enveloping the entire area. So much for a lovely view of the highlands. Or anything else for that matter. But Kate did hear voices.

"Keith." She shushed her partner. "I hear something…"

They crept a little closer. At close range, they found a bunch of murkrow creating black smoke by the truckloads. But why?

"Heh…with this much black mist around, no trespasser will get far…"

Dim Sun. Of course.

"Neither will you!" Keith called out, stepping forward.

"What? Whose there? I can't see your faces…but I bet they're ugly!" The grunt yelled, clicking and clacking at a miniremo. "But I'll send pokemon to make you run home to mommy!"

The crowd of murkrow attacked. It was tricky to see them in the dark haze but Kate managed. Keith seemed to have no problems. Once captures were complete, Kate heard the familiar blow-up of a miniremo.

"Augh!" The goon ran off, disappearing into the black mist.

_Beep! Beep!_

Kate inspected her styler. Something seemed off. It's energy was lower than what it should be. Maybe the murkrow hit the capture disk once or twice but it never wouldv'e gone so low. After another moment, Kate found the energy was going down!

"Keith! Check your styler!" Kate told the redhead.

"Why? What's…." Keith did such. "Hey! Why's my energy low?"

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

"Voicemail! It's Professor Hastings. We're getting some abnormal signals from both your stylers. Whats going on?"

"Kate, here." Kate responded. "We're in some sort of dark fog produced by murkrow. Maybe that's the cause?"

"Hm…I see." Hastings said. "The stylers must be having trouble trying to connect to radio signals. I would imagine your stylers energy will drain slowly. So recharge often!"

The call was cut off. Good thing too. It was using up more energy. Thank goodness for the pikachus running around. Two captures later and the duo rangers recharged the stylers.

"Better find a pokemon that can get of the damn mist…" Keith suggested, looking around as they began to walk.

"Kinda hard to find anything." Kate sighed.

"Stick with me and we'll do fine." Keith reassured.

They chose to take a path more north, to get closer to the mountain. With any luck, the top up there would be cleared from the smoke and the two could rest there temporarily while thinking of a solution. Maybe Sven would be there too.

"CARNA!"

Kate heard something race right towards her. But in a split second, she was pushed to the ground before whatever it was reached her.

"ACK!" Keith!

She heard her friend get knocked over. Kate and Chia immediately captured the pokemon that attacked, which turned out to be a carnavine. After releasing the pokemon, Kate kneeled beside Keith.

"Tch…I think it got me…" He groaned.

Kate could see his shoulder was bleeding but only slightly. She reached for her travel-size first aid kit and got out the bandages. Wave washed off the blood before Kate patched Keith up. The injury wasn't serious. Keith would be fine. But…

"You…you saved me." Kate realized.

"I couldn't let your arm get torn up again." Kate said, starting to get up.

"Thank you." Kate told him.

Silence. Keith turned his head away.

"We should get back to finding a pokemon that knows demist." He muttered.

Kate got an idea. She phoned in Rhythmi and asked to list some general pokemon that lived in the area. Rhyth listed a number of them. Pikachu, beedrill, carnavine, murkrow, staraptor….but Keith perked up at hearing Skarmory.

"Skarmory! They know demist!" He grew excited.

"You know that?" Kate asked, shutting off the call.

"Yeah! A bunch of them migrated to Fortree City every year! I loved to play with them out in the forest!" Keith replied. "Aw man they're my favorite flying type!"

"Don't let Wendy hear you say that." Kate chuckled.

"Skarmory tend to like higher grounds so let's check the top of the mountain." Keith suggested, starting to run ahead.

The climb to the mountain wasn't too tough. And as they guessed before, there wasn't any fog to drain the stylers of their energy. A skarmory rested on one of the rocks.

"No way….Silver?" Keith gasped.

The skarmory looked up. It then got down from the rock and flew to Keith, happy to see him. Keith stroked the bird's head with care.

"You know this skarmory?" Kate asked.

"This is Steel." Keith introduced. "I've known him since I was little. He always traveled alone but came to Fortree every year. We flew together all the time!"

Kate was amazed. She reached out to pet Steel but the skarmory shrunk back.

"Whoa! It's ok! She's a friend!" Keith tried to calm him down. "Sorry Kate. Steel doesn't tend to trust many people."

Steel cast a wary look. But after a moment, it let Kate pat its head. She could see Keith, proudly grinning nearby.

"So this is where you've been going." Keith said. "Listen Steel, there's some dark mist down below the mountain. Think you can blow it away?"

Steel gave a confident smirk. All of a sudden, it burst into the sky and dove deep into the haze. For a minute, nothing happened.

"Is…?" Kate was about to ask.

"Wait for it." Keith whispered.

The dark vapor slowly started to clear up. Kate could see the plains of the Chroma Highlands, as stunning as it was said to be. Pokemon down below seemed happy again. Although the Dim Sun goons scattered around didn't look too pleased.

"Great job Steel!" Keith called to Steel, who was circling above.

"_Way to go!"_ Chia and Wave cheered.

"Rawwwwk!" Steel cried out.

It landed beside the pair again. Kate thought it was cool how Steel helped out like that. What a pokemon! And to think it was buddies with Keith all these years. Maybe the redhead did have a way with pokemon. In a way, that was kind of sweet.

"Hey wait…" Kate looked around, recalling something. "Where's Sven?"

Keith took a glance around. Sven was nowhere to be seen. And it didn't look like he was anywhere below in the highlands.

"You're right. Hey Steel?" Keith turned to the skarmory. "Have you seen a cowboy come through here with a styler like mine?"

Steel flapped out its wing, pointing at the giant rock in the center of the mountain. Kate went over to inspect it. Seemed sturdy, impossible to move. But…there was a crack in between the rock and the ground. She could hear wind echo through.

"I think there's a secret entrance here." Kate said.

"Cool! But how do we get in?" Keith asked.

"I think we need a pokeassist on this one." Kate told him.

"Rawk!" Skarmory got off the ground again.

It looked over Chroma Highlands for a moment. But it then flew to a spot and made a few circles. Kate ran to the edge, alongside Keith, to see it was over a Bastiodon.

"I'm thinkin we should go capture a bastiodon to help us." Kate pieced together.

"My time to shine." Keith smirked, taking off down the mountain.

He and Wave went over to where Steel was. The bastiodon didn't seem to want to cooperate one bit. It slammed itself into the redhead, sending him back a few feet. Keith only seemed dazed at the attack. But Kate watched him handle the bastiodon like it was nothing. Capture complete, he and Wave came racing back up the mountainside with the pokemon as Steel perched on one of the rocks.

"Bastiodon! Move the rock!" Keith gave the command.

Bastiodon did as asked. Under the rock were ancient stairs that led into a dark cave.

"Thanks Bastiodon!" Keith said as the fossil pokemon left. "And thanks Steel."

"Rawwwwwk." Steel seemed pleased.

"I'll come visit sometime soon, ok?" Keith told it.

Steel seemed happy to hear it. The skarmory then took off, flying down into the highlands. Attention was turned back to the entrance into the cave.

"After you." Keith gestured.

"No please." Kate pushed him forward. "I _insist_."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

The cave ran a lot deeper than Keith thought. A lot of tunnels, twists, turns….way too easy to get lost. But the pokemon who lived around the cave seemed to have no problem finding their way. Lots of dark, psychic and dark types. Occasional bastiodon or Pikachu were around. But not much variety on the typings.

"Hey, I caught a driftblim. But uh…sorry there's only one." Kate said. "We'll have to share."

"No big deal." Keith shrugged.

WRONG. Each ranger grabbed a string of the driftblim. The pokemon started to rise slowly to the other floor. Kate was waiting to get to the next floor up. Keith, on the other hand, was turning a dark shade of red, having a really hard time not transforming. Why did they have to be so damn close? Her body against his….

_Poof!_

Once they got to the next floor and the driftblim was away, Keith had transformed.

"I thought you were starting to recover from that cold." Kate said.

"Me too." Keith sighed.

It took twenty minutes for Keith to return to normal. Definitely slowed them down from trying to find Sven. Though Kate really didn't seem to mind too much. Despite all the inconvenience the curse gave off, she still accepted him for who he was. Keith appreciated that. Just another thing that made him fall for her.

"_So you've finally come to terms."_ Wave smirked when Kate went to go find another driftblim. _"You're in love with Kate."_

"Since when did you know anything?" Keith rolled his eyes.

"_Dude, your head looked close to exploding during that driftblim ride. You saved her from a carnavine attack. And minus the little joke this morning, you've been treating Kate a lot more gently since last night."_ Wave listed.

"It could be anything." Keith muttered.

"_Or it could be love. Something happened at that dance that made you realize."_ Wave told him.

Smart buizel…

"And what if I say I did? You'd probably tell the whole world." Keith grumbled.

"_No, that's Rhythmi's job."_ Wave chuckled. _"I'm here for support."_

"Keith! I found a driftblim and a spot to go up!" Kate called.

"Coming!" Keith started to jog over to her voice.

"_This isn't over."_ Wave whispered.

"Oh yes it is." Keith hissed back.

He met up with Kate. They grabbed driftblims strings and started to rise. The closeness made Keith heat up all over again. It took every ounce of strength to resist transforming. Wave smiled over the scene all too knowingly.

"EEP!"

Kate slipped from the string. Keith grabbed her arm and pulled her up, chest to chest. Oh thank arceus Kate wasn't looking at him. He must've been at least 25 different shades of red. And the heat was steadily rising when Kate wrapped her arms around him, as if clinging for dear life.

"No no no no no no noooooo!" Keith was mentally battling the pressure of the curse.

He was desperately trying to push it to the side. Transforming mid-air wouldn't be just embarrassing. But they'd be falling to the ground way below, with good chance of injuries.

"Wave." Keith mouthed, struggling as he fought. "Water gun, now!"

Wave nodded and splashed his face with a cold one. Aw man that felt so much better! The ice cold water helped to cool him down, letting Keith escape from the danger zone. Driftblim landed safely on the ground, then flying off.

"Keith? Why are you all wet?" Kate asked, confused.

"Oh. Felt a bit warm. Wave helped." Keith replied.

"Awww! Good job Wave!" Kate smiled.

Both rangers pressed forward, deeper into the maze of shadowy passageways. Cave walls slowly turned color; from gray and dusty to black and covered with purplish crystals that glowed. Sven had to be close by. But….hey wait….

"ARCUES!" Keith coughed. "What is that smell?"

"I dunno!" Kate gagged. "It smells terrible! I think it's coming from behind that door over there!"

"Just get moving!" Keith groaned.

They ran up ahead on the trail, not stopping till the air wasn't foul. As they journeyed, the crystals were bigger and brighter. It looked like the duo would be getting close to the deep end of the cave.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Psst! Hey guys!"

Sven! Kate and Keith ran over to where Sven crouched. Oh great….another headache was coming on. But where were the gigaremos or miniremos? It felt as if there were _tons_ of the damn things.

"Keep your voices down." Sven whispered. "Good to see you guys. Nice work getting here."

"So what do you need help with?" Keith asked quietly.

"Listen." Sven turned his attention to behind the rocks the three sat behind.

Sure enough, there were voices. Busy footsteps too.

"They told us to dig up all the dark shards we can but we're running out!"

"Yeah, just lightcolored ones are left. And those you can see right through."

"I noticed too. Lousy good for nothing clear shards…"

"Hey I sell the ones I find to the tourists. When life gives you light colored rock lemons, make some light colored rock lemonade."

"That's a great idea!...minus the weird analogy…"

"Yeah our salaries suck. I need all the extra money I can get."

The three top rangers turned to face each other.

"Too many Dim Sun goons there for my liking. And from what I hear, they're collecting those shards for pocket money." Sven said in a low tone.

"Jerks." Keith mumbled.

"Dark shards….that's the same thing in the gigaremos and miniremos!" Kate told them.

"So that's why they stripped the place." Sven glanced back over at the grunts.

"Let's run them out!" Keith whispered. "Stand up against them and take them on!"

"No, no. We're outnumbered." Sven declined. "We'll need to be crafty here. Gotta think up a plan that can send those stinkin crinimals out of here."

Stinkin crinimals….hey….back up a moment! Kate knew exactly what to do!

"I'll be right back!" Kate ran off. "I've got an idea!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

She returned a few minutes later, stunktank beside her. The pokemon wasn't a sneaky one to catch. Or it may have been the smell that threw Kate's capturing off. But it didn't matter. What mattered was that she had the pokemon needed to put her plan into action.

"Ah. I see what you plan on doing." Sven softly chuckled.

"Good going Kate." Keith nodded.

"Pinch your noses and wish me luck." Kate murmured.

With a deep breath, Kate marched forward into the midst of the Dim Sun team. The grunts stopped what they were doing and stared at her in shock. They started talking all at once.

"Whose she?"

"Dunno….maybe looking for pocket money with these shards?"

"You dolts! That's a ranger!"

"Ranger?"

"Hey there's nothing illegal goin on here!"

"She's alone guys. That means we can have a little fun with her…"

Kate took three seconds to prepare herself. She then issued the order to stunktank to 'let loose'. Chia dove for cover and Kate held her breath.

**DESCRPTION OF THE STUNKTANKS MOVE STINK IS CENSORED BY THE AUTHOR FOR BEING EXTREMELY DISTURBING AND GROSS. PLEASE ENJOY THE REST OF THE CHAPTER.**

What happened next was pure pandemonium. Dim Sun goons screamed like little girls and ran in circles all over the place. With so many bumping into her, Kate could hardly keep her breath in and resist a gulp of the putrid air. But the plan was working! Dim Sun was emptying out of the cave, trying to get away from the rancid odor. It took another minute or so for the sick greenish yellow to die down.

"Thanks Skuntank!" Kate waved to the pokemon as it walked off.

"Awesome! Couldn't have gone better!" Sven came out but paused, sniffing the air. "Whoa! Keep your noses plugged!"

"HACK!"

Keith ran in, looking a little sick.

"Sven!" Keith yelled. "You could've warned me earlier! Nobody said the smell was _that_ bad! Blech!"

"Come on." Sven was on the verge of laughing. "Let's go see whats further down this way."

Like before, the cave grew darker but the crystals' eerie purple glow grew more intense, lighting the path. Kate's headache was getting a tad bit worse. Stupid dark shards…they were causing the headache. But she did feel guilty that a small part of her actually liked that Dim Sun picked up a bunch of those shards. Who knows what intense pain she'd suffer through? Was it possible for a head to explode from a migraine?

"Hey, what are those stones?"

Kate looked up ahead. She saw there were five stones with cracks split in the middle. With the two dots, each stone looked like a creepy face. Strange.

"Hold up. That's a spirittomb." Sven told them.

From the center rock, a ghastly purple vapor swirled out. It formed into a vortex with green spheres spinning round and round. Its eyes were black and emerald swirls. Had to be a ghost type pokemon.

"That's a little….weird." Keith sweatdropped.

"Weird or not, it's guarding something. No way we'd get through without a capture." Sven warned.

"I got this one." Kate stepped forward.

She walked up to the spirittomb. The pokemon blinked for a moment. But it was ready for a challenge. Kate began the capture, circling around the spirittomb. Though the ranger hadn't guessed that it could transfer itself from rock to rock. It wasn't easy to keep track of a moving, unpredictable target.

"Chia!" Kate summoned.

Chia shot out electric bolts that managed to stun the spirittomb in place. The effects didn't last long and Chia wasn't sure where the pokemon would go right after. Thankfully, the pachirisu was able to help out some. It felt like forever that the capture went on. Kate was grateful when it was all over.

"Nice work Kate!" Keith complimented.

The spirittomb looked over Kate. It didn't turn away from her for the longest of times. When it finally did, it gave a small nod and hopped itself to the side. Kate could feel a slight chill blow in from the room the spirittomb was guarding. Something was wrong. Immediately, Kate burst into a run.

"Hey Kate! Wait up!" Keith and Sven sprinted after her.

Kate charged through the long, darkened tunnel. Her headache was at its worst ever but she ignored it. There was just a feeling….something telling her to go down to the end of that tunnel. The ranger girl kept going. She went through another opening and came to a halt, staring at what she was seeing.

A giant room filled with shadows and dozens of dark shards. Up ahead was a three level pyramid that led up to a humongous gap in the wall. Kate was feeling sharp pains in her head but something new as well. As if there was a hole inside of her, something missing. And a sense as though something was horribly wrong.

"Kate!" Keith panted, finally catching up. "You're way too fast…"

"We're too late!" Sven groaned. "Damn it all!"

All three were starting to walk towards and up the pyramid steps.

"I've been on the trail of this thing for a long time. Seems like someone's already gone and hauled it away." Sven said.

"What did they haul away?" Keith asked.

"See that hole?" Sven pointed to the gap in the wall. "Something big had to be pried from that hole. And what's scattered across the cavern walls?"

"You don't mean…" Keith was starting to get a clue.

"A giant dark shard. Or as legends referred to it, the Shadow Crystal." Sven said. "Those dark shards were just slivers compared to that thing. Worse, I've heard its supposed to be made up of pure darkness with no hint of light."

"So its gone? And the spirittomb failed to protect it?" Keith asked.

"The spirittomb was probably just a backup protector. The real guardian of this Shadow Crystal is supposed to be the pokemon of complete darkness and nightmares. A pokemon known as Darkrai."

Darkrai….Kate froze at the name, eyes widening. Her skin was losing color and feeling, shivering uncontrollably. Memories were flashing through her head. Kate's heart was feeling twisted…warped…filled with the darkest fear ever known….

"Kate?"

Kate could hardly hear her partner. She dropped to her knees, getting weaker. Darkrai…darkrai had been there. Kate could feel it! But…but something happened. Darkrai was gone as well as the Shadow Crystal it protected. Wait…was the nightmare Kate had true? Did darkrai get kidnapped by cruel people? Perhaps by Dim Sun?

"KATE!"

That _had _to be it. No other explanation for the connections and occurances. That darkrai was calling for help. And Kate was too late. She….she couldn't do anything about it…..what a failure she was. But…did that mean darkrai was right before too? Those warnings in her other dreams. Was it right about _that_? Oh no….no no no….

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Keith caught Kate in his arms as she blacked out. It seemed like she was suffering. BIG time. Had to be from mentioning darkrai. Poor girl was traumatized by her experience as a kid.

"Is she ok?" Sven asked, concerned.

"Not too sure…" Keith felt her forehead.

No fevers. Nothing that seemed dangerous. Could be just a stressed out moment. Keith got up, holding the love of his life in his arms. Damn darkrai…it would pay _severely _for hurting Kate like that.

"I won't ask questions." Sven sighed. "But I'm thinking we should keep investigating, see where the hole leads."

Keith nodded. The rangers and partner pokemon (who were concerned for Kate) continued down the cave. Crystals were losing their glow and the darkness was lighting up. It was hardly any time at all before they got to a ladder. Keith shifted Kate onto his back and climbed up the ladder, Sven behind.

"Careful not to drop her." Sven teased.

"Shut up." Keith muttered.

The climb up the rusty ladder lead to the cliffsides of the Chroma Highlands. On the cliff was an old, worn shack surrounded by rusty fences and oil barrels. Sven went over to read the ancient sign next to it while Keith adjusted Kate back into bridal-style carrying.

"Al….ru…oil….Altru Oil?" Sven read outloud. "This shack is where Altru started?"

"No way." Keith gasped.

Sven went on inside, with Keith right behind. The place looked like a disaster. Damaged furniture, papers & boxes spread all over, layers of dust…what a dump. Had to have been abandoned years ago.

A small moan interrupted Keith's thoughts. Kate stirred, starting to wake up.

"K…Keith?"

Keith sighed, relieved to see Kate's blue eyes stare into his. He kneeled down and placed her carefully on the floor.

"You alright, Lucky?" Sven asked from across the room.

"I think so…what happened?" Kate responded.

"You were knocked out cold." Keith explained. "Had to carry you out. Sven and I found this shack that we think belonged to altru about a thousand years ago."

Kate started to get up. Keith was ready to catch her, should she fall again. She looked around the place with interest.

"Cool…" She whispered, starting to walk around.

But she hadn't been looking where she was going.

"ACK!"

Slam!

Keith dashed over to Kate, who crashed into the ground after tripping on a book. Kate picked up said book and started to flip through the pages. He read over her shoulder, trying to make out the words. From what Keith could tell, it was an aged diary that was burnt in places.

"You guys find anything?" Sven came over.

Kate handed him the diary. He paged through it, studying.

"It's badly burnt…but I can make out words like 'darkness' and 'black. We better take it back to the Union for analysis." Sven suggested, stowing the diary away.

Flush!

"Did you guys hear a toilet?" Kate sweatdropped. "Or did I get a concussion while unconscious?"

"No I hear it too." Keith told her.

Ka-chunk.

A door opened in the back of the shack. Everyone turned to face the person coming out. A chubby boy about Keith and Kate's age with dark green hair spiked with gel. Someone very familiar.

"Ponte?" Keith and Kate exclaimed. "The conflicted marshmallow boy?"

"Kate! Keith!" Ponte exclaimed. "Hey…since when did you two become top rangers?"

"Nevermind that! When did YOU become a Dim Sun member?" Keith pointed to the uniform.

Dark and purple with the trademark. That was a Dim Sun uniform, no doubt about it.

"Hm? Oh yeah the outfit." Ponte looked down at his clothes. "I was a member…but not even for a day. Didn't agree with their policies at all."

"Thank arceus….we didn't want to fight an old classmate!" Kate said.

Keith agreed with her all the way.

"I'm back to being free. Made the shack my home." Ponte continued. "There was a diary that survived a fire or something. Said that Altru started out here in this very shack."

Yep. Same diary that Sven had picked up only moments ago. Though Keith kept quiet.

"Dim Sun's a total joke. They're clueless about what they stand for or what they're doing!" Ponte switched back to a prior subject. "They claim to upheld their cherished slogan 'A bright future for Almia'….but they have that stupid name. What is with that?"

"Have you seen them here recently?" Sven questioned.

"Yep. A few days ago they were digging some….oh geez I dunno….coal maybe?" Ponte replied. "Lots of pokemon doing the work and a bunch of effort to move the thing."

Shadow Crystal. No question about it.

"Lucky for me, there's a large stock of food and a working toilet here. When I stumbled across this place, I thought I'd kick back for awhile and think over my future." Ponte told everyone.

"Sounds like you figured things out." Sven said. "And what became of that…er…coal?"

"Higher-up grunts took off with it via helicopter. Couldn't tell if they went to the mountains or the sea." Ponte answered. "There was also this giant shipping container. Dunno what was inside but I heard cries coming from there."

Kate's face turned to one of deep concern. Those eyes….the usual innocence and light didn't sparkle like usual. What was she thinking?

"Sorry to disturb you….um….marshmallow boy. But I reckon we've got all the info we'll need." Sven tipped his hat.

"It's nothing. But good luck with the ranger'ing!" Ponte said. "Hope to see you guys sometime again!"

After a round of goodbyes, the group of rangers left the shack.

"I'm going to chase a few leads. You two head back to the Union." Sven instructed, handing the diary to Kate. "But hey, great job! You weren't promoted for nothing!"

"We'll make sure the diary gets to the professor." Kate promised.

"Thanks guys! I'll see you two hotshots later!" With that, Sven jumped the ledge with Zap and ran off.

Keith turned to Kate. Her eyes were slowly going back to normal. Whatever was troubling her was starting to go away.

"Come on." He pat her head. "Let's go home."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Romance mixed with action and drama. A lovely blend that serves readers well! Your next update will certainly be the mix plus some extra suspense and mystery…heh heh heh. It'll come in due time….very quick time….**


	33. Psychic

***doodles fanart of Keith and Kate***

**Adorable! Hm? Oh hey guys! I foresee you reading, reviewing and enjoying this chapter…**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Hey wait up!"

"Hurry it up Kate! I'll beat ya back to Union if you keep being so slow!"

Keith was racing through Pueltown, Kate chasing right behind. He wanted to make her forget about collapsing in the Chroma Ruins. Just to make her go back to her normal, perky, cute self.

"Keith?" Kate paused.

"Yeah?" Keith stopped as well.

"I think we took a wrong turn or something. This isn't the way to Altru park." Kate said.

How right she was. Keith hadn't been paying attention to the way they were going. Now they were…well…who knows where? Someplace deep in Pueltown.

"Perhaps it was destiny that led you here."

The rangers turned to see a giant dark purple tent with gold décor. An elderly woman with wrinkles and gray hair sat, shuffling cards.

"Are you a psychic or something?" Kate asked, walking over.

"I am." The elderly woman replied calmly. "Just call me Madam, sweetie."

"Really? Prove you're a psychic." Keith challenged.

"Your name is Keith Darren Gardner and you're around 16. You've grown up in Fortree, Hoenn all your life but was born in Lavaridge while your parents vacationed." Madam relayed the info.

"Lucky guess." Keith mumbled.

"I also know that you're under a curse that transforms you into a Pikachu when your heat rises too high."

….

"WHAT?" Keith and Kate exclaimed.

There was no way that psychic would've known that. Keith kept the secret guarded tightly and avoided disastrous situations.

"Keith I swear I didn't tell her!" Kate told him.

And he believed her. Kate never would let the curse slip past her lips. Keith trusted her more than anyone else.

"Relax honey. Nobody released the secret. I'm a psychic remember." Madam reassured.

"You are the real thing." Keith said.

"Yes and destiny foretold that I am to assist you. I was hoping to catch you when you defeated those…er…weird machines some time back. You were in a hurry though, late for something." Madam explained. "It's good that I finally catch you here and now."

"Then what can you tell me?" Keith questioned.

Madam stood up and held open a flap to the back of the tent.

"Come. But you only." Madam answered. "Kate must wait outside with the pokemon."

"Kate? You think you'll be alright?" Keith asked his partner.

"Of course. I can handle anything." Kate replied. "Besides, if there was a problem, I've got two pokemon that go undefeated in a fight_."_

"_Darn right!"_ Wave agreed.

Keith then followed the psychic woman inside the tent. The entrance sealed up behind them. Inside the dark violet tent was a lot bigger than Keith had seen from the outside. Gold psychic trinkets dangled from the ceiling and shelves. Some stuff he had never seen outside of movies or stories. In the middle of the room was a low table with a crystal ball. Madam sat on one end, Keith sat down on the other.

"Alright. So what do you know about the curse?" Keith asked.

"First let me ask you. Tell me how you got that curse." Madam instructed.

"Um…well….it was some years back when I played in the woods after dark. Some witch tried to kidnap me but I escaped. She fired something at me which was the curse and I've been dealing with it ever since." Keith cautiously explained.

"Wrong." Madam said.

"Excuse me?" Keith questioned.

"You're wrong. That witch never cast the curse on you." Madam told him.

"Yes she did! I've been changing in and out of Pikachu form since then!" Keith objected.

"True you have been transforming. But that curse was already set upon you since before you were born." Madam said.

….what?

"Your curse was handed down to you, as per fate. It was just lying dormant for many years." Madam waved her hands over the crystal ball. "When the witch was trying to take you away and you fought back, she was going to kill you. But her magic only managed to unlock that curse inside you. That's when you felt the curse's effects."

Keith remained silent for a moment, thinking it over. Sounded a little crazy. Then again, a lot of crazy things happened in his life. The curse was one of them.

"So why would fate give me this curse?" Keith asked.

"That I don't know." Madam sighed. "All I do know was that you were destined to inherit this curse. And you seem to inherit other gifts. Ones that will open up soon. Can't say what they are but they're ready to awaken."

"Gifts or not, I want the curse off." Keith muttered.

"It is frustrating isn't it?" Madam smirked. "I see you've had a lot of trouble. Especially more recently."

Didn't take a psychic to figure _that_ out.

"Can you take this curse off?" Keith requested. "Please?"

"I'm sorry sonny." Madam shook her head. "I'm only a psychic. I can't do magic. And even if so, a curse set upon fate is impossible to remove. Not even with all the magic in the world. You have to break it on your own."

"Then tell me how." Keith determinedly said.

"Well…" Madam waved her hands over the crystal ball.

Inside was a mass of gray clouds, swirling around. Madam concentrated on only the crystal ball for a moment. Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, she looked back up at Keith.

"Normally, a curse given by destiny has a universal cure. Same thing no matter what the curse may be." Madam explained. "But for_ you_, dear boy, its different. There's more to it."

Great. Had to be more difficult. Keith scowled.

"There's two parts." Madam informed. "The first would be True Love's Song. You must hear your true love sing."

….

WHAT. THE….

"#$%*^#$!" Keith pounded his fist on the table, his face getting red.

"I had a feeling you'd react that way." Madam said.

"You've got be joking!" Keith shouted.

"I don't lie about these things." Madam didn't seem to fazed by the outburst. "True Love's Song is the first requirement you need to meet if you ever wish to break that curse on you."

Keith gulped.

"And…the second?" Keith hesitantly asked.

"True Love's Kiss."

…..

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? ARCEUS!" Keith raged. "I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!"

"Once your true love kisses you, the curse will shatter. But she must be the one to give it after the first requirement is done." Madam went on.

Aw no….no no no no NO…Keith could feel his temperature rise just thinking about it! How could it be this way? Why couldn't the curse ask something like finding an ancient relic or traveling to a distant place? But no. Instead fate was being cruel. Kate would never kiss him. Impossible. Never ever.

_Poof!_

"You've already come to accept your feelings on a certain girl, I see." Madam said.

Even as a Pikachu, Keith's face was a dark crimson.

"Then I guess this curse is staying with me. Cause that certain girl doesn't feel the same way for me." Keith looked down. "And I doubt she ever will…"

"Now, now. If it really is true love, then the girl's heart will open up in time." Madam reassured.

A cold wind blew through the tent. It bristled down Keith's neck, helping him cool down. Keith changed back. He got back into his ranger uniform, a bit embarrassed to be seen clothes-less in front of a strange. Madam didn't seem too bothered by it, just shuffling the cards on the table.

"Even if she ever loves me back…" Keith mumbled. "Kate's been traumatized by an accident. She can't…"

"Sing?" Madam finished. "I sensed that. Her spirit needs healing."

Keith blinked. It was a little confusing.

"Just be her friend. Make her happy. Stay by her side. In time, getting close to you will heal her shattered spirit." Madam advised. "And it could grow into deep feelings for you."

"Alright." Keith nodded.

"Another thing before you leave." Madam said. "Now that you've heard all of this, you'll be forbidden to say a word of it."

"Wait…I can't tell Kate about the stuff I heard in here?" Keith asked.

"You can't say a word to anyone. The curse will only prevent it." Madam answered.

Would've been embarrassing to relay it to other people anyways. Keith got up and started to walk out of the tent.

"Good luck."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Hey Keith!"

Kate greeted him when he came out of the tent. He seemed to have a lot on his mind.

"You ok?" Kate asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Just fine." Keith replied quickly. "Let's go back to the Union."

They started to walk down the road.

"So what did the psychic talk to you about?" Kate asked. "Hopefully a way to get that curse off."

Keith stared at her weirdly for a moment. But he turned away.

"I can't say." He mumbled.

"Why not? You don't trust me?" Kate frowned.

"NO!" Keith whipped back around. "I trust you completely! You're…"

A pause.

"Er…cause you're my best friend." Keith finished looking a bit awkward. "Sorry but I'm not allowed to say anything about what went on in there. Psychic rules or something like that."

"Oh I get it. One of those 'private' psychics. I heard about those mystic rules they have." Kate smiled. "If you ever need help, just tell me ok?

Keith gave another weird stare. But the familiar grin crossed his face again.

"Thanks Kate." He said.

"Race ya home!" Kate started running.

"Hey no fair! You got a headstart!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Surprising? Poor Keith…he's not havin an easy time is he? But he's got the answer to how to break that curse. Now its up to him to put that into action! Of course nothing is ever that easy…**

**I foretell another update…yes….very close in the future….**


	34. Girls & Guys Night

**Whazzup peoples? I bringeth you another chapter! But I'm in a hurry due to someplace I gotta be.**

**Read review and enjoy!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"GIRLS NIGHT!"

Kate and Keith stared over at Rhythmi, who burst into the break room oh so suddenly. Talk about sudden.

"So whats captain blondie talking about?" Keith asked with some sarcasm.

"Well nothing that concerns you, crimson head." Rhythmi rolled her eyes before turning to Kate. "Come on! You, me and Wendy are going out on the town! I even invited Luana and Elaine too!"

"What kind of girls night are we having?" Kate asked.

"There's a hip new froyo place that opened up some time ago. Thinkin we'll all go there." Rhythmi replied.

"That sounds great!" Kate said.

"What the heck is froyo?" Keith muttered.

"Froyo…" Rhythmi knocked him in the head. "…is frozen yogurt! Tastes like ice cream except its good for you."

Keith rubbed his head, groaning some curses.

"Hey wait, what about missions?" Kate asked.

"Oh I got clearance. It's been a few days since you guys even had a mission. Chroma Ruins wasn't it? Aw well." Rhythmi shrugged. "Now let's go!"

Before Kate could react, she and Chia were pulled up by her friend and dragged out of the room.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Looks like its just you and me." Keith pet Wave.

"Maybe not."

Sven entered the room, Zap by his side.

"I was thinkin guys night. You, me and some friends." Sven suggested.

"And if I say no?" Keith tested.

"Oh you better not!"

In came Crawford, Ollie and Marcus. They grabbed Keith and hoisted him onto his feet. Looks like guys night was unavoidable.

"I've got no choice do I?" Keith sweatdropped.

"Nope." All guys said in a unison.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Pueltown looked peaceful in the evening. A nice orange glow bathed the city, with streetlights starting to flicker on. Even at that time of day, people still had places to go and things to do. Such as the guys who were walking through the street.

"So where are we going anyways?" Keith asked.

"Check this." Marcus pulled out his laptop.

On the screen was a map of some sort. There were two glowing dots, not too far apart. Although one of those dots was on a street sort of similar looking to…..

"Wait is that a GPS?" Ollie looked over Marcus's shoulder.

"Yep." Marcus replied. "Sven's idea. Not sure what for though."

"I put a tracking chip inside blondie's purse." Crawford added. "Again, Sven's idea. A genius plan it is."

"Much obliged." Sven chuckled.

"So we're…." Keith slowly said.

"Spying on the girls?" He, Marcus and Ollie asked, shocked.

"Yep!" Afro gave cowboy the high five. "Aint this a great idea or what?"

"YOU IDIOTS!" Keith raged.

"Come on. They'll never know." Crawford laughed.

"But in a small pasta restaurant, they're bound to see us." Ollie said.

"Pasta? Rhythmi told me they were going for frozen yogurt." Keith blinked.

"And Wendy said it was pastries. But it aint any of those." Sven grinned.

"According to the GPS, there isn't a place like around here. They're all inside into some music café down the street." Marcus informed them.

"To the café it is!" Crawford proclaimed.

All five guys followed the GPS signal and went into the café. It was a lot bigger than Keith expected it to be. Dark room full of tables and chairs. There was a juice counter nearby. And at the very back, a spot-lit stage with a stool and microphone. Had to be one of those performer café spots. But why did Rhythmi lie about where they were going? This place didn't seem so bad.

"I'll give. Why'd the girls come here?" Marcus asked.

"Let's find out." Sven grabbed the laptop and typed in a few keys.

A pop up occurred. It looked like one of those voice recording systems, where the line bounced up and down to sounds. Sven pressed a button, letting the sound turn on. Voices…it was the girls!

"A mini microphone. You snuck a mini microphone into Rhythmis purse." Keith sighed, unsure of what other surprises the two prankster rangers had in store.

"No. I snuck it into Kate's purse." Sven corrected.

Keith felt obligated to say some other things about the subject. But he kept quiet. All the guys took a table, propping up the laptop for them to hear.

"Ok I'm here! Now tell me why we're not at a frozen yogurt place." Kate said. "Alright I confess. We're not here for frozen yogurt." Rhythmi told her.

"Oh right. Like I couldn't tell that." Kate sarcastically mumbled.

"We're here to help you, Sparky." Elaine said.

"Help?" Kate echoed.

"Yeah! Remember when you played piano and we shared that video with through the ranger net?" Luana asked, getting excited.

"Trust me." Kate was irritated. "_That_ was impossible to forget."

Keith saw that video. Her talent was spectacular! Made him wish he could hear her play the grass whistle again…

"Tonight, we're going to share your gift with the rest of the world!" Wendy told her.

"WHAT?" Kate exclaimed. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKIN MINDS?"

"We knew you'd say that." Elaine said.

So did the guys, who were snickering. Keith, though, kept listening in.

"Yeah just not this early. Especially with part two of the surprise!" Luana agreed.

"Part two?" Kate didn't seem to like the sound of that.

"I totally got you figured out." Rhythmi said. "You said you can't sing. But that's just it! You're only afraid to sing in front of others! And we'll cure you of that! It's Kareoke night and in one minute, you'll be out there singing!"

"RHYTHMI!" Kate snapped.

Uh oh. Keith knew the truth. It wasn't the fear of singing in front of other people. Kate's voice was traumatized after the whole darkrai accident. And now the girls were going to force the poor girl onto stage to face it.

"This outta be good." Sven said.

"Yeah, Sparky's singing must be as good as her piano playing." Crawford commented.

"Oh I saw that earlier. She's great!" Marcus said.

"Isn't she?" Sven agreed.

"Hey show me that video sometime." Ollie requested.

"Look! You're on!"

The boys turned back to the computer.

"Wait…what? Guys I really don't…" Kate stammered, growing nervous.

"You'll do fine!" Wendy reassured.

"Yeah! Go get em Sparky!" Luana cheered.

Up on stage, Keith saw someone get pushed out of the curtains. Kate. The guys (as well as the rest of the café) turned their attention to the girl. Though it was a little far from the stage, Keith could tell his partner was trembling. When the music hit, Kate seemed to grow more than just nervous. The redhead just knew….he knew that she was terrified. Like she had been thrown into a tank of hungry sharpedo.

"Hey I think somethings wrong." Ollie pointed out.

Keith knew the song reached to the singing part. But Kate wasn't singing. Her eyes were wide with fright. Maybe it was just him…but Keith thought she looked a little pale. He watched Kate take a step back. Then another. And then a dash off the stage.

"Kate!" Keith scrambled out of his chair and over to the backstage entry.

He climbed through props and sets, looking around. Keith's eyes darted everywhere at once. No sign of Kate. But there was the rest of the girls and Kate, looking worried.

"Hey! Rhythmi!" Keith ran over.

"Keith? What on earth are you…?" Rhythmi was about to ask.

"Long story but the guys are out there too. Yell at them later for sneaking a tracking chip in your purse." Keith panted. "Where is Kate?"

"Oh they are so dead…" Wendy furiously muttered.

"We dunno. Sparky's up and left." Luana replied.

"None of the stagehands saw her." Elaine came over. "I think she left this place altogether."

"Dammit…" Keith took off. "Kate!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate plowed through the streets. She had no clue where she was or where she was going. All that mattered was getting as far away from that stupid café place and humiliation as possible. What a disaster! Kate hadn't been able to think clearly. The spotlight and people staring alone made her freeze. But the dark fears…that was what sent her over the edge.

Once her legs started to feel like lead and her lungs out of air, Kate stopped. She sat down on the edge of a fountain. Looking around, Kate knew she hadn't been in this part of Pueltown before. Nice. She was lost. All alone. And the clouds were rumbling, warning rain was imminent.

"Hey, we found a chick!"

Kate faced the direction the voice came from. Four guys strolled up to the fountain, taking a seat by her. They all had black jackets and ripped up jeans; seemed a few years older than the ranger. Had to be some sort of club or gang…

"Just back off." Kate coldly told them.

"Aw she has a temper." The dark-blond one mocked. "Meow!"

"Must've gotten lost, eh girlie?" A shaved guy said.

"Need some help?" The blue haired guy reached for her shoulder.

Kate smacked his hand and stood up. She wasn't liking where this was going. Even an idiot would know it was best to get the hell out of there.

"I said back off!" Kate retorted.

She felt someone stand behind her. It was the guy with bleached hair and sunglasses. Obviously the leader.

"You're coming with us." He said.

His fingers snapped. Shaved and blue-hair grabbed Kate's arms in a flash. She tried to move but they tightened their grasp on her. Just as Kate shrieked, the leader snapped his fingers again. Blond guy threw a banadana of some sort over her mouth and tied it up.

"Now…" The leader smiled a chilling smile. "Let's have some fun."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Keith kept running. It didn't matter if his heart gave out from the exercise or a horror-induced heart attack. He _would_ find Kate. Make no doubt about it. He had to protect the girl he loved, no matter what. Later, he'd be killing Rhythmi for coming up with the worst idea ever. But for the moment, his main mission was to track down Kate.

Wait…there was a small shriek. Kate! Had to be her! Keith turned down a street and hurried through the dark streets, over to a plaza of sorts. There were a group of thug-type characters and they were holding some girl. It couldn't be….oh arcues no…it...it was her….

"Kate!" Keith gasped.

His panic switched to blinding anger. Without even thinking, Keith ran up to the gang and slammed his fist into the shaved guy's face. Both guys dropped Kate, who was shocked to see him. Keith stood between the four jerks and his partner, who untied the bandana off her mouth.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" The blond one yelled.

"Keith Gardener." Keith flashed his ID. "Top Ranger 12. And if you guys don't get the hell out of here, I'll be kicking your #$^%* all the way down to prison."

Three of the guys shrunk back, intimidated. Bleach hair seemed more annoyed than anything. But it was clear Keith got the message clear to him.

"Fine." The leader growled. "Let's go boys."

The gang ran off. Keith waited before they disappeared before turning back to Kate. She was still scared…but seemed to be relieved.

"Are you…?" Keith felt her leap into his arms, burying her head into him.

There were a few muffled sobs and a lot of shaking. Keith, unsure of what else to do, began to stroke her head as he had done once before. They stayed like that for several minutes. Keith let her pour out her emotions, all while feeling a lot of his own bubbling. He was furious at the boys for trying to make a move on _his_ girl and at Rhythmi for causing this entire thing to happen. Relief over Kate being safe and unharmed. There was his heart shattering from the sounds of her crying. But most of it….was love. A flood of love had washed through him, making him hold onto her tight and never wanting to let go. Maybe Kate had taken on dangerous missions, a few that had almost gotten her killed. She seemed indestructible but also fragile at the same time. Her spirit was broken but strong. And it was up to him to heal the scars and keep the sweet girl happy.

Voices…Keith could make out a few recognizable ones. Must be the group. Kate could hear them too and stopped the waterworks. She wiped her eyes and looked up at Keith. Oh what beautiful eyes they were…so brilliant and full of life. Kate smiled and left his side.

The two then went to go join the rest of the group.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Enjoyed it? Darn you Rhythmi…you'll be paying for the whole incident later now won't you? And because Im running late for something, I'll keep the message short and say your next updates on the way!**


	35. Reflection

**Wowie….new record for '# of new readers in a day'! Geez I post my chapter and I see a bunch of new readers and replies! You guys are AWESOME *sniffle* I'm…I am so proud of you all! Totally loving the support I'm getting. Keep reading, reviewing and enjoying!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Hey."

Keith turned his head to see Rhythmi standing in the break-room doorway. He wasn't in the mood to see her.

"Yeah?" Keith waited for her to say something.

Rhythmi paused, shifting nervously. As if looking for something to say.

"Thanks. For saving Kate." Rhythmi finally spoke.

"Anyone else would've handled that situation the same." Keith muttered.

"Kate said you charged right in there and punched a guy in the face!" Rhythmi said, sitting down in a chair next to him. "She said you were really brave, trying to chase them off."

"Kate said that about me?" Keith asked.

Rhythmi nodded. Wow…

"Well…" Keith sighed. "Don't forget that the whole 'girls night out' and forcing Kate to sing was _your_ idea."

"I didn't think she'd run off!" Rhythmi defended. "I had no idea she was too scared! But how the heck did you know?"

"Doesn't matter. Point is, this whole mess traces back to you!" Keith argued.

"I said I was worry! Why do you care so much?" Rhythmi furiously questioned.

"Because I love her!"

….

Oh…no….

"What did you just say…?" Rhythmi gasped.

No point in hiding things now.

"I said I love her." Keith looked down at the floor, away from the operator.

Rhythmi stared at him for the longest of times. It was a complete shock driven through the heart with mixed with confusion.

"I can't believe you said that…" Rhythmi whispered.

"Neither can I." Keith mumbled.

A long silence. The tension in the air felt giant, crushing and frozen all at once. Keith had just admitted he loved Kate to the one girl who'd scream it to the entire planet. Oh things were going to smoothly after that now weren't they? NOT. Every ranger in Almia would probably hear the news within an hour. Tops.

"Keith…"

The redhead glanced at her.

"I always knew you had a crush on her. Maybe even liked. But I had no idea that it grew this far…" Rhythmi said.

"All I want is to protect her, make Kate happy." Keith told her.

"You're doing a good job then." Rhythmi complimented.

"Thanks." Keith gave a small grin. "And even though you know, I expect you to keep your big mouth shut about this. No one finds out."

"Come on. _Everyone_ knows you have a thing for her! Well maybe not Luana…and Kate's definitely in the dark…" Rhythmi's voice drifted into thought.

"RHYTHMI…" Keith's growl dragged her back down to earth.

"Okay, okay! I swear on my operators job not to say a single thing." Rhythmi vowed.

Keith stayed silent after that. He vaguely heard Rhythmi leaving, saying she was off to bed. He was too busy replaying the memories of the night over and over in his head…

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate was thinking about the same thing. At the time, she was trying to be cold and brave. In reality, she had been scared through and through. Those jerks must've picked up on it. What were they going to do with her anyways? Kate shuddered just thinking about it.

No one would've heard her scream through the bandana they tied on her. Even so, no one was out on the streets. It seemed hope was lost. Until Keith showed up.

_"Keith Gardener. Top ranger 12. And if you don't get the hell out of here, I'll kick your #$^%* all the way down to the police station."_

Keith stood up for her. He saved her from those creeps, sent them running. Kate saw him as bold and strong, kind of like a hero. Once the guys were gone, Kate couldn't control herself. She flung into him, practically bawling. It was like something inside her snapped. A mixture of relief but still terrified. Aw man she was hoping she wouldn't embarrass him.

Apparently not. Keith stroked her head, which felt soft and relaxing. He took it all in and didn't say a word. Kate realized she saw another side to her partner. Maybe he was courageous, tough and had a slight temper. But he had a caring, soft side to him.

"You alright?"

Speak of the devil, Keith walked into the room and flopped down on his bed.

"Yeah." Kate responded.

Once he was relaxed and not so stubborn, it wasn't hard to see Keith having a gentle side. Strong shoulders to cry on yet daring enough to take on bad guys…some girl would be lucky to have him.

"Keith?"

"Hm?"

"….thanks. For everything."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**This chapter was mainly to finish up from the last. Like closing thoughts and such. **

***sticks a post it note that says something about an update being soon***


	36. New Information

***trips over writing notes***

**I swear…..the number of times a day I slip on these things is ridiculous….**

**Yo guys! Here we are at a brand new chapter! What better way to start your day! Ok lame cereal commercials aside, you know what to do! R, R, E! Read, Review, Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. But it'd be totally awesome if I did.**

**Claimer: I do own changes to character and all sub-plots & bonus stories.**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Yo Murph! How's it coming?"

Keith and Kate entered the research room, where the action hadn't stopped. Nage was busy researching over the contents of the burned diary. Murph had probably been helping. Kate was feeling a headache from the dark shard on display but she set it aside.

"Hey! But keep your voices down!" Murph whispered. "No shouting. Ever."

"You know you don't have to be _that_ quiet." Nage chuckled.

"The quieter it is, maybe the better the diary will be deciphered!" Murph said. "Keep your fingers crossed!"

"And the sunny disposition too." Nate smiled, shaking his head. "…..hm? Hello, what is this?"

"Whats up?" Keith asked.

"Letters….hey there's letters starting to appear on the cover!" Nage replied. "B-R-I-G-H-T-O-N. Brighton?

"Brighton? Isn't that a candy?" Murph asked.

"Hey I remember!" Kate snapped to attention. "When I was getting my arm bandaged up, we took a tour around Altru! Brighton was one of the presidents before Blake!"

"Oh yeah! He was…I think the second?" Murph said.

"He was. I remember he was a plain man, undistinguished in apperance really."

Professor Hastings entered the room and walked up to the dark shard stand. Erma came in shortly after, doing the same.

"Welcome back Professor!" Nage greeted from the computer.

"So did you know Brighton personally?" Kate asked.

"I met him a few times long ago. But I have no clue where he is now or even if he's still alive. He's slipped from my mind completely till now." Hastings answered.

"I'm guessing that this Brighton guy wrote the diary." Keith assumed.

"That's a reasonable conclusion." Hastings told him.

"Judging on the diary, my estimate is it dates back thirty some years." Nage said. "It's been said the Chroma fields were running low on oil and Brighton's diary confirms it, claiming he was deeply concerned about the issue."

Nage typed in a few keys on the computer. Some of the worn pages appeared on screen. Kind of hard to read them though, through the messy scrawl and burnt areas.

"But then he made a huge discovery while drilling a shaft. A humongous, enigmatic black stone on top of a ceremonial dais. This is most likely what Sven referred to in his report as the 'Shadow Crystal'." Nage went on.

"I see." Hastings said.

"Brighton mentions something about his heart 'corresponding' with it. He sensed an immense amount of energy within it." Nage continued. "Brighton studied the crystal, believing its darkness could solve put a final solution Almia's energy crisis. And that's all we've managed to decipher so far."

"Anything else?" Erma asked.

"Well there was something about Blake Hall, the current president." Nage replied. "Not much though. Brighton left his son in the care of his wife while he went to work with the Shadow Crystal."

"Good work Nage. We're seeing a connection between the Shadow Crystal and Altru." Hastings said.

"So this little black stone is the energy of the future?" Murph walked up to the dark shard. "That's kind of amazing!"

All of a sudden, Murph started to glow. It was a brilliant flash of blue energy, radiating from his chest. Kate felt a warm energy and the headache was fading a little.

"What the…? Who….I…whatcha….ah….whats going on?" Murph stammered.

"Murph! What's happening to you?" Hastings shouted.

"Hey it looks sort of cool." Keith commented.

"Wait a second. Murph? What are you hiding in your chest?" Erma questioned.

Murph pulled out something hanging on a string. A dazzling blue rock shard was what glowed. Not Murph! Hastings went over to inspect the machines nearby.

"Well look at this!" Hastings turned back to the group. "The dark shard's energy dropped significantly!"

"Where did you get that pendant?" Nage asked.

"Oh my pops gave it to me. Got it as a souvineer from the Hia Valley. Since he's the leader of a research team, we don't see each other much" Murph answered. "He said an old woman gave this to him. It's supposed to be made from this legendary gem 'Tears of the Princes' or something."

Hastings listened to the information. He paced the floor for a moment, completely quiet. Everyone knew it was never best to disturb the professor when he got like that. But after a little bit, Hastings looked up at Kate and Keith.

"Hia Valley it is! I'm sending you two off to gather information about the Tears of Princes." Hastings instructed. "Hop to it! Chop-chop!"

"Yes sir!" Both rangers saluted before running out the door.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Hia Valley?"

As they made their way down the hall, Kate and Keith bumped into Rhythmi. She decided to walk them out.

"Yep! It's gonna be awesome!" Keith was thrilled.

"You do realize that the Hia Valley is freezing cold with ice and snowstorms?" Rhythmi asked.

Apparantly, Keith didn't know that.

"How come I'm the last to know these things?" he yelled.

"Hey at least _I'll_ have fun! Bring on a blizzard! I'm so ready for it!" Kate got fired up just thinking about it.

"Why couldn't this 'Tears of Prince' thing be somewhere warm? Like a volcano or a desert." Keith grumbled.

"Call me when you get there." Rhythmi chuckled. "I'll try and talk a few minutes when I'm not busy scrambling around. Things have been busy busy BUSY lately."

"I bet you and Marcus can handle it fine." Kate told her.

"Yeah." Keith smirked. "_You and Marcus_."

Rhythmi glared.

"Well _you and Kate_, have some fun up there." She said to him. "It's been awhile since you two spent some time _alone_."

Keith clammed up for some reason. Kate wasn't sure what that was all about but a part of her said she probably shouldn't ask. It was better to stay out of their tiffs.

"Rhythmi!" That was Marcus calling. "I need your help with the printer! Might be stuck again…"

"Coming!" Rhythmi's voice sang.

The operator raced off. Kate and Keith finished walking outside. The redhead took a deep breath of air.

"Enjoy the warm sunshine while it lasts." He sighed. "Cause it won't last long where we're going."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**And off we go! A new mission to the North! Come on Keith, the weather can't be that bad! Although I never do go out in the snow without warm clothes. I suppose rangers do get cold in those uniforms.**

**Oh well! I'm chipping at this iceberg to form a new update! It'll be done in 12 years...heck with it. *uses hairdryer* Let's make it soon. Soon is good.**


	37. Cold Wind, Warm Hearts

**Off to the Hia Valley! We join our heroes on their latest mission to go get information on the mysterious Tears of Princes. But will a giant meowth crush their heads as it devours Cerulean City while dancing the tango?**

…**.I got carried away again didn't I?**

**Read, review and enjoy!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Rounding up a floatzel was no problem. Though Wave wasn't thrilled about it. He seemed a bit jealous that Keith caught him. Kate had to bend down and scratch his head to reassure him.

"You're still top buizel around here, buddy." Kate whispered when Keith was busy. "I'd rather take you over that floatzel any day."

Wave seemed to like that response and rubbed up against her leg.

"_Yeah! No other buizel or floatzel can do flips in the air!"_ Chia chimed in.

"Hey guys! Let's go!" Keith called out.

Kate got to the river where Keith stood impatiently. Wave growled a bit before heading over.

"I thought you were getting two." Kate said.

"No other ones around right now. But this floatzel's pretty strong. It doesn't seem to mind about carrying two rangers." Keith told her.

The floatzel agreed. Kate shrugged and got to the water. She climbed on the floatzel first, with Keith sliding next to her. Chia decided to go on top of Wave's back than face the crowded conditions of the floatzel (and also support her buddy). The floatzel took off, jetting down the riverside.

Kate had to admit. This was kinda nice. Sure the water was chilly but it was a nice little ride. Though Keith had underestimated how much room was on the pokemon. She was starting to slip off and into the river!

"Whoa!" Keith grabbed her arm. "Gotcha! Better be careful!"

He tucked her under his arm, pressing them together. Wow was he warm. And…wait a sec…something seemed odd about his arms and chest. They were soft yet…tight. Did Keith Gardener actually have _muscles_? It seemed like it. But Keith never actually worked out. Had to be from all that ranger quests and missions. And he even seemed a bit taller. Did the guy gain an inch or two sometime? Sure Kate had been growing too but she never even noticed the redhead's height until then.

Kate looked up at his face. Nice features. Almost as if carved; suited him nicely. But his eyes…why didn't Kate really give them a good look till that moment? She knew they were green. But it was more like a vibrant, emerald hue. Kate tried to read those eyes. Determined, excited, focused…nothing outside the usual.

"What's up?" Keith caught her staring.

"Saw something on your face." Kate replied, dipping her hand into the water.

"What? What is it?" Keith tried inspecting his face for whatever it was.

"This!" Kate splashed him.

"HEY!" Keith splashed her back.

They went on like that for a minute. By the time they finished, both rangers were laughing too hard. Kate glanced at his eyes again, curious at what they read. Same emotions but with added new ones. One was 'having fun'. But Kate wasn't able to tell what that other one was.

"Look! We made it!"

Kate watched as the floatzel carried them into the cave. Dark but a lot better than the Chroma Ruins. Both rangers climbed onto shore with their pokemon and said goodbye to the floatzel. Kate and Chia walked on ahead while Wave and Keith were talking about something or another. Their reactions were holding quite a conversation. But Kate stayed out of it out respect.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"_Had fun back there?"_ Wave smirked.

"Did not." Keith spoke in a low tone so Kate wouldn't hear.

"_I saw the way you held onto her. Slick moves."_ Wave snickered.

"Just helping her so she wouldn't slip off." Keith told him.

"_No use in hiding it lover boy."_ Wave said. _"You're __way __deep in love with her."_

"Shut up!" Keith hissed.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

The air inside the cave wasn't all that bad. Not warm but not cold either. Stalagmites and stalactites hung everywhere. Occasional water dripped from the ceiling. It was a typical cave. Nothing too special. The rangers walked on in, looking around at the sights. Ice pokemon were all over so they made sure to not disturb them. More so for the swinub that loved to charge.

"Hey who turned the cold on? It's freezing!" Keith shivered, clutching his arms tight.

Kate noticed it too. The air had gotten chilly, with wind blowing past them. As they went further in, snow and icicles started to form. No doubt they were getting closer.

"RANGERS!"

Some feet away were Dim Sun grunts. Kate thought they looked familiar.

"That's the ranger I met by their stupid school! I got a cold from jumping into the river!" One cried out.

"HER? She's the one who locked me out of the base in Boyleland!" The other whined.

"For the record, you locked yourself out." Kate reminded. "And you didn't _have_ to jump off the bridge."

"I can't believe you know these guys." Keith sweatdropped.

"_They're dorks aren't they?"_ Chia murmured.

The two grunts pulled out a miniremo. Their fingers scampered on the keys, summoning golbat. Kate rolled her eyes and proceeded to capture. She did golbats before. They were no big deal. In about three minutes (give or take a second), the golbats were freed and the miniremo exploded.

"Aaaah! She showed us up again!" The 'bridge' grunt exclaimed.

"Run for it!" The 'volcano' grunt screamed, sort of like a little girl.

"That was awesome." Keith chuckled. "Now let's get moving before I freeze solid."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

It didn't take long for them to find the exit. Keith was greeted by a blast of frigid air and snow. Night time covered the snowflakes falling onto the already deep levels of snow. Being extremely cold though, Keith was in no mood to stay outside and appreciate nature. Kate, on the other hand, was ecstatic. She ran all over the place with Chia and Wave, frolicking happily.

"Woo! Isn't this great?" Kate twirled around.

"Yeah if you're a Mamoswine!" Keith shivered. "Arceus its cold…"

But it did warm him up some to see Kate in good spirits. She thrived on cold weather. Must've missed it after being in a normal temperate environment and a volcano for so long. With a sneaky idea, Keith grabbed a pile of snow.

"Hey Kate!" He threw a snowball. "Head's up!"

Yes! Right in the face! Boy was she surprised!

"You want to mess with me?" She snickered and scooped up a snowball of her own.

They ran across the valley, throwing snowballs in an all out battle. Chia and Wave ran alongside, helping provide ammo when needed. Keith forgot all about being cold and was having fun with his partner. Even though he was losing (what'd you expect?), it was great to spend some time with her like that.

"Race ya to the camp!" Kate challenged.

"You're on!" Keith shouted.

What Keith didn't see, though, was a tree root covered in snow. He managed to trip over it and tackle into Kate, landing them into the snow. Keith fell right on top of Kate, who blinked and broke into laughter. He was a bit embarrassed but couldn't help laughing either. She was just too darn cute. Rosy cheeks from the cold, that sweet smile, the eyes that shined brightly. Her voice seemed so much clearer when it rang through cold air. Thank heavens he didn't transform.

Keith got off as she started to squirm from under him, feeling incredibly awkward about the situation. He helped Kate up and they started heading north in direction of the camp. It wasn't a far walk until a bearded man in a dark blue parka walked up to them.

"Are you the rangers Kate and Keith?" He asked. "I'm Pamur, Murph's dad. He called earlier to tell me you two were on your way here."

"That's nice of him! And thank you for greeting us out here." Kate told him.

"My pleasure. Friends of Murph are always welcome here." Pamur said. "We better head into Shiver Camp. The huts will be much better to sleep in than out here."

"No kidding." Keith agreed, feeling cold all over again.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

The spare cabin Keith and Kate stayed in was small but cozy. Two beds, some chairs, small pieces of furniture. Kate noticed that Keith didn't really seem to care. He fell onto the bed, claimed it as his own and almost instantly fell asleep. Figures. And of course he chose the bed with a gazillion blankets. She got up from her bed and was about to take some off. Not just for herself though. If Keith wasn't careful he might…

_Poof!_

….transform.

Kate sighed and proceeded to take two or three off. Wow those things were heavy. No surprise the weight and heat the blankets gave off made Keith go into Pikachu form. Kate made sure to give Keith enough blankets to stay warm and unwrapped a few off his face so it wouldn't smother him.

Keith was peacefully asleep, unaware he was a pokemon. Redhead usually was a fireball who bounced all over the place, acted so brash and was basically a ball of energy. Human or not. But asleep, he was almost sort of cute. Relaxed, tuckered out, calm. Kate couldn't help smiling as she pat Keith's head.

Finished, she got into her own bed, turned off the battery powered lamp and went to sleep.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**I'm guessing you guys are pleased?**

***smirks***

**Something seems to be going on, doesn't it? But! You shan't find out yet! Young warrior, you must wait-eth for the next chapter….eth.**


	38. To the Castle!

**Nothing like writing and eating chocolate ice cream while wearing a Pikachu shirt and watching old pokemon episodes while writing…sigh. An afternoon spent like that is never a waste!**

**Pika! Pikachu! Pi pi pi kaaaaaachu! Chu chu Pikachu!**

**In less poetic terms, read review and enjoy!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Nnnnggg….wha? HEY! Why the heck am I naked?"

"And good morning to you too…."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Murph's pendant?"

Pamur, Kate and Keith sat around the table drinking hot chocolate once everyone in camp was up. Time to begin the investigation in those Tears of the Princes.

"Yeah, Murph said it was a present from you." Kate sipped her drink.

"That it is. I just wish I could visit him more often." Pamur sighed. "The pendant was handmade from Mrs. Winter, who lives nearby."

"Who'd want to retire in a frozen ice cube?" Keith muttered.

"I suggest you talk to her, since she'll know more about the pendant than I do. She's a sweet old lady who loves having company." Pamur said.

"Then we'll have to pay her a visit." Kate turned to Keith. "Ready to go back into the snow?"

The scowl was an obvious no.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Hia Valley looked amazing in the snow! And it seemed even better during daylight. Granted the clouds and everlasting snow didn't make too much a difference. But it was a lot easier to see. Chia and Wave seemed happy to bounce around in the snow. The cold must've perked them up. Kate wished she could say the same for redhead, who was still trying to wake up. Luckily a snowball or two would fix that…

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Oh? It's such a rare occasion to see a ranger around here! Never thought I'd see two!"

An elderly lady greeted them at the door. Her hair was as white as the snow outside, with pale skin. She was definitely old but looked as though she still had the flames of life burning strong. Keith had a feeling she didn't go out too much and lived alone for awhile.

"Keith and Kate." He introduced. "Would you mind if we asked some questions?"

"It regards to the pendant you gave Pamur's son, Murph." Kate added.

"Ah yes. When I was little, I used to find those stones…er…shards…all over the valley. They were called 'Tears of Princes' and considered to be very good luck." Mrs. Winter explained.

Keith noticed Kate fingered her sharpedo tooth necklace.

"They related to an ancient folktale. Used to be in a childrens book. But the book disappeared and the story faded over time. Eventually, the story was forgotten." Mrs. Winter went on. "Even I can only remember it vaguely. Would you like to hear it?"

"Go ahead." Kate answered. "I've always loved legends and stories."

Mrs. Winter sat down on a chair, with the two rangers sitting nearby.

"I believe it was titled 'The King of Almia and the Three Princes'. Long ago, darkness arrived in Almia. A prince clad in blue stood. He willed himself to turn into light and shined, turning darkness into light. The prince then disappeared, waiting a day where….er…." Mrs. Winter retold but paused. "…hmmm…I think that's how it went. I'm not too sure what day he waited for or what the other princes were doing. Sorry about that."

"No, no! It was great!" Kate clapped.

"Is there anything else you know?" Keith asked.

"Yes. The 'Tears of Prince' shards relate to that fairy tale somehow." Mrs. Winter answered. "I remember I found mine on the shores of the lake that surrounds Almia Castle when I was very little. People believed it came from a bigger crystal."

A bigger crystal?

"Many adventurers went looking in that castle. But no success." Mrs. Winter continued. "They all turned back. And in time, the rumor of that crystal was forgotten as well."

"Thanks for the info." Keith rose from his seat. "I'm thinking we'll inspect the castle and see if that blue gem really is just a legend."

"I'm game." Kate jumped right up.

"Then I wish you two the best of luck!" Mrs. Winter chuckled heartedly. "I suppose two determined rangers can do anything if they put their minds to it. Even going into Almia Castle."

With a goodbye, Keith and Kate left Mrs. Winter's house and went to the north. The walk wasn't long at all. Soon, they reached the shores of the lake. Way out in the middle was the castle. Looked like it was frozen over completely. Seemed like an irresistible challenge. Which was what Keith was hoping for.

"So how do you think we'll cross?" Kate asked.

The water had to be freezing cold. And there were icebergs, whirlpools and strong currents. Had to be stronger than a floatzel. Like….

"An empoleon!" Keith pointed to a nearby empoleon, which had been walking around.

Before Kate could react, he got to where the penguin pokemon was and started the capture. Tough thing….kept unleashing water attacks and ice beams. Keith thanked his lucky stars that he wasn't caught up in those. At least Wave was able to distract it while he made the final loop.

"Capture complete!" He shouted.

The empoleon got into the water. It waited for Keith and Kate (whose pokemon hung onto their heads) to climb onto its back. Once complete, empoleon rushed off into the lake like a speed-boat. Keith made sure to hold on right, especially to Kate who clung on for her dear life. Oh…arceus…she was so warm…

"No! Not now! Just focus on crossing the lake." Keith scolded in his thoughts.

As they grew closer to the castle, Keith felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. Where had he seen this castle before? Why did something about it strike a bell?

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**OFF TO THE CASTLE! Dun dun dun daaaaah!**

**Join us next time, in a very quick-to-come update, where they journey forth into the mysterious halls of an abandoned castle….oooooohhh…..how awesome….!**


	39. Inside the Icy Walls

**Whew…took me all night to complete this chapter. Re-edited certain scenes, details and such about three times over. And that power-outage did me no help what so freakin ever. But it is DONE! I'm hoping you guys shall like the "JOURNEY TO YOUR SOUUUUULLLL!". Alright I'm joking! Dive deep inside Almia Castle in the brand new chapter!**

**Gotta read em all. Gotta review em all. Gotta enjoy em all. Pokemon!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate and Keith stood at the shores of the lake, looking at the towering castle that stretched high above them. It was kind of intimidating up close, like it challenged those of thinking of coming inside. Who knew what lie in the hallowed walls of the castle?...well….besides the crystal. The place had been abandoned for hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years. It gave off an air of mystery…

"We better head in." Keith said.

"How? The door's locked." Kate pointed out. "And there's no handles or knobs."

"Huh." Keith stepped forward, inspecting the door. "Good point."

A breeze swept past them. Two torches that had been unlit suddenly flickered. Fire suddenly burned! With a loud rumble, the doors slowly opened.

"Nevermind." Both rangers sweatdropped.

They entered the castle together. Kate was in awe. The place was so covered in ice that it looked like it _was_ made of ice. An old blue rug graced the halls that held stone pillars and lit torches.

"Must've been elegant in its time." Kate gasped.

"I bet." Keith agreed.

The rangers entered the next room. The long, white cloth-covered table with candles, dusty silverwear and frozen candlesticks made it obvious that was the dining room. But that wasn't what caught Kate's attention. It was the Dim Sun admin not too far off. He was tapping his foot, lying back against the wall.

"Boss!"

A grunt entered from the left hallway.

"It's a no go." He was out of breath. "Dead ends in every room."

"Same here!" Another grunt appeared from the right hallway. "Looks like this place is impossible to get through."

Kate saw there was no other way to get in either. Just those two halls. But that couldn't be. The blue gem had to be somewhere…

"Hey Dimwits!" Keith stepped forward. "Maybe you should leave and get your selves some snow cones."

Kate rolled her eyes and joined up with him. The Dim Sun team faced them.

"Why would a ranger come here?"

"There aren't hints or mysteries here! Certainly no crystals!"

"Shut up you two!" The admin snapped. "I'll handle this."

One clikety clack on the miniremo, out popped a pack of houndour. Kate took on half, making sure not to get burned by their fire attacks in the process. She and Keith had no issues whatsoever. After another miniremo gone haywire, the Dim Sun troup retreated.

"We better check out the castle." Keith suggested. "See where the blue gem could be."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

First was the left. Turned out to be an old cooking room where a Jynx and Scyther called home. Rusty pots laid across the floor with broken plate bits. Nowhere to go from there. Next was the right hall. Keith took a look around at the many chairs and tables in the sitting rooms. There was even a library, covered in dust and cobwebs. But no blue gem.

"Where is that thing?" Keith sighed.

"Keep looking. Why not check that room over there while I get the other?" Kate asked.

Keith shrugged, doing just that. It was a bedroom. One of those fancy royal kinds seen in movies…only dustier, darker and worn. But there was that strange feeling again, panging inside of the redhead. Familiar…why was this place hitting a chord? Keith stepped inside to check things out. But his attention was soon grabbed to something sticking out from under the bed. He grabbed it and wiped off the dust and dirt.

A book. A leather bound fairly-sized book with old pages containing handwriting. Unfortunately Keith couldn't read the writing since it was faint and in a different language of sorts. Hey….wait a sec….the cover…the letters started to shift and move around. It was forming English!

_Gavan_

Gavan? Keith heard that name before. In a dream not too long ago! But what did it mean? Did that dream relate to this?

"Keith!" Kate was calling. "You find anything?"

"No!" Keith put the book in his pockets. "Coming!"

He'd have to take a look at it later. Hopefully whoever the owner was wouldn't have minded too much. Keith joined back with Kate and continued investigating the castle.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"I can't believe we've searched everywhere…"

Back at the dining hall, at the north end of the table. The duo checked everywhere for a way in but nada. No possible way in. Those Dim Sun grunts were right.

"Now what?" Keith asked.

"Dunno." Kate leaned back against the wall. "Wha…? EEEP!"

She fell right through the wall, like it was made of air. Kate crashed onto an ice floor, right on her back. With a groan, she sat up and looked around. Another room! A crooked, weird shaped ice floor with dark chasms. That wall had been a fake! There was more to the castle than meets the eye!

"Kate!" Keith shouted. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine!" Kate called back. "Step through! You gotta see this!"

Keith did just that. He gasped at the sight of another room.

"This is awesome!" Keith exclaimed. "Way to go!"

"Shall we?" Kate started to walk on the ice.

"WATCH OUT!"

Keith yanked Kate back, an icicle landing right where she previously stood. Yikes…if Keith hadn't pulled her away….ulp….

"The whole ceilings got icicles ready to drop." Keith whispered, looking up. "And I've got a feeling that falling off the floor isn't a smart move either."

Kate nodded. Slowly and carefully, the two started to cross the ice. Kate was feeling extremely nervous and shaky, not liking the idea of an icicle stabbing her. She wasn't the type to scare easily normally. But something about those ice spears. A small whimper escaped from her throat.

"Hey." Keith pulled her in close. "Don't worry about it."

Kate relaxed, seeing the usual goofy grin on her partners face. She clung to his arm as they crossed the ice path. Something about Keith just made her feel safer. More at ease. Kate knew Keith was concerned about getting across the room without, you know, dying. But he was standing tall for her. Making sure she was ok. That was really sweet of him.

Once the danger was over, Kate let go. As if corresponding with that movement, a whole mess of icicles dropped from the ceiling and stuck into the ground. That was way too close. Both rangers sweatdropped but advanced ahead. More fireplaces, sitting rooms, ancient items…stuff of that nature.

"Wait." Keith stopped her near a corner. "I hear voices…"

"So what do you think of our boss?"

"Think we did ok with Ice?"

"Personally, I'm cool with him. So not like Lavana who blows up over everything."

"I know! She raged about that stupid makeup kit all day yesterday!"

"Heath's a real pain too. He's hard to cheer up if and when he's depressed."

"Really? I thought Heath wasn't all bad. His tactics make things interesting."

"I'd take Lavana. Passionate and hot like a volcano. And female. Get my drift?"

Kate chuckled. Sounds like _someone_ was a little desperate.

"Yeah well, doesn't matter. They're so damn special while we admins are stuck as is."

"So true. So very true."

"We're not even bothered with names! Is it too much to ask for Admin A or Admin B?"

Kate saw the smirk on Keith's face. Show time. They went out into the open.

"How about Dork A and Dork B?" Kate taunted arrogantly.

"Awwww no! A ranger heard us!" An admin groaned.

"Gaaaaah! You mean two! TWO rangers!" A grunt cried out.

"Make em forget with a seedot invasion!" The other admin whipped out a miniremo and punched in commands.

It took a moment for a full army of seedot to appear. The whole thing looked kind of…well…embarrassing. The rangers sweatdropped but went on to capture them all. Way way WAY too easy. What kind of challenge was _that_? Even for Dim Sun, it was pathetic.

"NOOOOOO!" The group freaked out as the miniremo blew up.

"And that's how we do it." Keith boasted.

"Hey…what are your names?" One grunt timidly asked.

"Kate and Keith." Kate answered.

"See? Why couldn't we get cool names like those?" An admit moaned.

The group left, letting the pair move on to the next room. More ice floors. But this was made a lot easier. Nothing to kill them from above, nothing to fall into below. Perfectly safe. Slippery and tricky to cross, maybe. But a lot better than the previous room.

"Wha!" Kate was slipping all over.

"Kate? Need help?" Keith asked.

"N…no! I got it!" Kate stumbled over her own feet.

She could just imagine the drums from cartoons, moving in rhythm as she started skidding about. Keith was trying to get over to her when…

BAM!

She crashed. Kate landed right on top of the redhead.

"Sorry!" Kate apologized frantically.

"It's cool." Keith waved it off, struggling a bit with her on his somewhat strong chest.

Wait…what was that warm feeling creeping up her face? It gave her goosebumps on her skin and a lump in her throat. Why did she feel so awkward and embarrassed? Kate scrambled off the guy and tried to stand again. Keith managed to do it with ease (geez…for someone who loved heat so much….) and assisted Kate. They glided to the other door and went through, all while Kate was shaking off that weird sensation from earlier.

There was a giant room. Looked exactly like the entrance to the castle but wider and with statues of Riolu statues. At the other side of the room, by the door, was a guy. Light blue hair and white/light blue coat.

"I heard someone come in."

He turned around. The guy seemed to be a few years older than Kate.

"Lookie here. Some kids playing ranger." He said. "Lemme guess. Kept sliding around all over the place?"

"Who are you?" Keith questioned.

"Chill dude." He flipped his hair melo-drmatically. "Name's Ice."

Ice. So _this_ was the guy the others were talking about earlier. Seemed like such an airhead, stuck up jerk.

"Cool down. I was just joking around before." Ice chuckled. "I know you're both Top Rangers. Heard about you both from the paper or something. Key-boy and Kate-noob?"

"HEY! ITS KEITH! NOT KEY-BOY!" Keith furiously yelled.

"And there's no noob at the end of MY name!" Kate shot back.

"No noob? I guess that would make sense." Ice shrugged, unfazed by them. "Heh. Sorry. Chill."

The ice puns were getting old. _Fast_. Kate just wanted to face whatever miniremo pokemon that was coming and get rid of the guy.

"You're after something blue aren't ya? Know all about it." Ice said. "How about we team up? You twirl your little styler and I grab that gem? I'll buy ice-cream sodas after. They're blue. What do you say?"

"HELL NO!" Both raged.

"I'd never work with some low-life creep like you!" Kate shouted.

"Oh really? Cause I know you're falling for me, flat chest." Ice smirked deviously.

"THAT IS SO NOT TRUE!" Kate screamed at him, fuming.

"Hey I'm hot for someone who's cool." Ice posed dramatically, flipping his hair like before. "No girl resists me."

"Dump a bucket of cold water on your head, you psychotic #$%&^*." Kate could hear Keith say under his breath.

Ice didn't seem to hear him.

"That blue gem? Go ahead and take it." Ice started to walk away from the door. "There's an ultra strong pokemon in there, guarding that gem. Impossible for me to handle. Even more so for either of you."

Ice paused, standing next to Kate.

"One more thing." Ice said.

With one swift move, he grabbed Kate's arm, yanked her in and kissed her on the lips.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

No. Freakin. Way.

Arcues no…..

This couldn't be real. Had to be a nightmare. It just HAD to be. But pinching himself confirmed Keith's worst fears.

Kate was being kissed by another guy. An evil Dim Sun leader, no less.

That perverted freak….that idiot…..that….that leecher! How dare he! How could that empty headed, self centered dolt do that? Stealing a kiss from an innocent, adorable girl! _His_ girl! It was sick! Keith could feel his rage building deep within him, ready to explode at any given second. But despite the urge to murder the attacker, he remained paralyzed where he stood.

"CRETIN!" Kate managed to pull away and slap Ice across the face.

Ice stumbled back a little, stunned at her. But he regained his cool composure and the stupid smile.

"Huh. So you _can_ resist me." Ice said. "Too bad. You're a good kisser."

He started to walk away.

"Next time we meet, things won't be so easy. See ya around…flat chest."

Ice disappeared. Keith looked to where Kate was. She was trembling, horrified at what just happened.

"Kate?" Even Keith's own voice quivered.

Kate collapsed onto her knees, violently shaking. Keith bent down in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. The girl looked up, meeting her blue eyes with his own. She looked like she'd cry at any second. With a sigh, Keith took her into his arms and held her close to his heart.

"It's going to be alright…" Keith murmured. "I'm here for you. It's ok to cry…"

Right away, Kate started bawling. This was even more than the nightmare on their first night or when the gang tried to kidnap her. It was as if the whole event pained her deeply and Kate was expelling every ounce of that hideous memory out of her system. What had she been feeling during that kiss? Must've been horrible for her to act this way…

Keith whispered reassuring words to her and stroked her head. His heart was split at seeing her so sad. But also infuriated by Ice, the evil cradle robber who dared to do this to her. Next time they'd meet, Keith wouldn't show a bit of mercy. There was going to be payback in the near future. He'd make sure of it. No one would make Kate cry like that and get away with it. NO ONE.

"I have to try harder…" Keith thought. "I…I have to make sure the girl I love is protected….no matter what…"

He let Kate cry into his chest for as long as she wanted. It seemed like awhile before it turned to minor sobs and then down to shaky gasps. At that point, Kate pulled away and looked back up at Keith. The light was starting to return back to her eyes, which meant he had done _something_ right after all.

"I'm sorry…" Kate whispered.

"Just forget about what happened." Keith told her. "Let's go get that gem."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Even as they began to walk into the next room, Kate was still a little distracted by what happened moments before. She had been kissed. For the first time ever. And it was stolen by an enemy of the ranger union, one heck of a jerk.

Kate could recall less on the kiss itself but more on what she felt while it happened. When Ice locked lips, she felt a swirl of emotions that went to the extreme. Shock…fury…a strong force that was pushed onto her by the assailant…but most of all, a fear that made her blood go cold. It felt like ice and bitterness were shove deep inside her. Kate had been internally panicking. Miraculous at all that her body worked on its own, slapping the idiot away.

After that, Kate really didn't know what happened. She fell to the ground one moment, the next was in Keith's arms crying her eyes out. Keith had that weird effect on him. Whenever he comforted her, it seemed as though he changed from a conceited, impatient boy to a guy who seemed to understand everything and would calmly help her through it. In the past, Kate_ never_ turned to anyone else. She'd go off in Lyra forest, deeper than where most pokemon would go, and silently let a few tears slip. Nothing more. Now here was Keith, who emptied out everything negative inside of her. Why did she open up to him and only him?

"Thank you…" Kate's voice inaudible.

"Hm?" Keith turned to face her.

"Thanks Keith." Kate mumbled.

He gave her his famous smile. Why did Kate suddenly like that smile so much? They continued to walk forward down the icy hallways. Kate took in a deep breath and pushed the bad emotions aside. It was time to get that gem. They head right through to the doorway.

"Whoa…" They gasped.

An entire room made completely of ice. Even the torches, three in each of the two rows, that made a pathway were of ice. They lead to a dais where, glowing in a protective shield, was a blue, tear-shaped crystal. That had to be what they were looking for.

"Awesome!" Keith started to walk forward.

Whoooooossssshhhh!

A wind blew through, similar to when they first came in to Almia Castle. Two torches at the beginning of their lines started burning. Kate inspected them…but the ice didn't seem to be melting.

"What was that?" Keith asked.

The next two torches suddenly lit up! And then the final ones! Something weird was going on.

"Gwaoh!"

A pokemon cry! Kate and Keith looked to where the blue gem was to see a lucario standing in front of it. The lucario was cautious of the rangers but not too cautious to come down and dash towards them.

"Gwaoh."

It was about to fight when it saw Keith. The lucario stopped the aura sphere it was building to stare at him. Time passed slowly. Was there something going on?

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"_You're returned."_

Keith was shocked to hear a voice inside his head.

"_It's been a long time, master. Your arrival must mean Almia's in danger once more."_

Was…was that the lucarios telepathy? How was it even possible? And why did it refer to him as a master? Keith wasn't sure whether to speak or try telepathy himself. The lucario went back to the blue gem. It waved its paws, making the shield disappear. Carrying the blue gem in its paws, the lucario went back to Keith.

"_The safety of Almia lies within your hands." _The blue gem was thrust into Keith's hands. _"I trust you'll succeed. Good luck."_

With that, the Lucario started to walk back to where the blue gem had been. As it did, the pokemon started to fade away. And then, it was gone. Disappeared completely. No trace left.

"Keith…? What just happened?" Kate asked, confused and stunned.

"I have no idea…" Keith whispered.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Lotsa of action! Lotsa emotions! Lotsa mystery! Did I deliver an epic chapter or did I deliver an epic chapter, eh? **

**Next time on Pokemon SoA! We will be getting a new update! Coming soon!**


	40. The Diary

**I have a feeling that Ice would be killed 20 times over if you had fans had it your way. XD**

**Totally blank on what to say here soooooo….guess what the following phrase is! Yojne, weiver, daer**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Oh you two are all red! Must be from the frostbite."

The ranger pair greeted Chairperson Erma and Professor Hastings at the 3rd floor of the Union upon returning. And Keith couldn't be any happier to get out of the Hia Valley. Kate laughed as he whoop'd upon returning to the warm temperature.

"Guess what we found?" Keith pulled out the blue gem.

"Is that the blue gem?" Hastings blinked. "Well done you two! Very good job!"

"I'm thinking you two should get a promotion." Erma said. "I'm raising your ranger ranks!"

Despite the stiff frostbite, Keith and Kate gave confident poses. After giving the blue gem to the professor, they were allowed the rest of the day off.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

At night, after everyone went to bed, Keith laid awake in bed. He waited for the faint breathing in the other bed, the sign that made him know Kate was asleep. As soon as he heard it, Keith counted to 100. Had to make sure she wasn't up. Once he was done, Keith pulled out the leather book he retrieved from Almia Castle.

Under the covers and with a lit flashlight, Keith read over the cover again. Gavan. What did that mean? It sounded like a name. He opened to the first page of the book but it was barely legible. Even if it wasn't damaged, the language was one Keith had never seen before. All sorts of strange symbols and letters were on the page. Keith turned a page and a then a few more. Same thing.

Thinking this book wasn't going to tell him anything, Keith was about to give up. But a couple pages in, the page gave a small blue glow. Letters on the page rearranged themselves, just like the cover did back at the castle. It formed into English that Keith could read perfectly.

_Month xxx. Day xxx._

Month? Day? Had to be a diary.

_My brothers got into another one of their famous fights. I never caught what it was about. Something about power or strength? They're always bickering about one thing or another. And it always leads back to who will run the kingdom one day. Being born as triplets certainly didn't make the task of choosing easy. At least, being born years after them, I know for sure that the throne is much out of my reach. Suits me fine. I always preferred exploring the kingdom and getting to know our citizens. Something that my brothers should actually attempt to do if they ever want to rule the kingdom properly. Signed, Gavan_

Gavan…so it was the name of guy who wrote the diary. But throne? Kingdom? This book had to be dated back long ago! Could've been a millennium since this book had seen the light. Keith turned another 2 pages till the English formed again.

_Day xxx Month xxx_

_The most incredible thing happened. This morning, Crimson and Gold had been bothering me again so I snuck out of the castle. Out in the fields, I heard a voice. A beautiful voice. One that sang out so amazing that I just had to find out who it was. The voice had come from an equally gorgeous girl who sat under an oak tree. For a moment, I thought I had died and was being greeted by an angel. Gathering my courage, I came over and began to talk to the girl. We ended up staying there till sunset and promised to meet again. Before we left, I gave her my name and she gave me hers. Her name, as lovely as the spring cherry blossoms, was Lyrica._

Lyrica? Keith knew that name too! From the dream several nights back! Keith had heard both Gavan and Lyrica. Was that dream trying to tell him something? Did it relate to this diary? Curious, Keith turned pages. Every so often, a page would form into English. Almost as if the book chose which passages for Keith to read. But further in, the passages became more spaced out.

_Day xxx Month xxx_

_It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. I've only spent a short time with Lyrica, creating songs and being with her. I realize now that….well…I've fallen in love with her. How could I not? Her looks and singing could attract any man. And her spirit was strong, burning ever so brightly. But coming home, I find my brothers fights have gotten worse. Judging the way they act, I worry they'll one day use swords to decide who gets the throne. And father seems to be at his wits end as well. I'm sensing something bad is about to happen. Something bad not just for our family…but for Almia as well._

_Day xxx Month xxx_

_I'm sad to say it finally happened. Father lost control of himself and started to yell at my brothers. I watched from the shadows as he lectured on about how peace was important and brothers shouldn't fight like they had done. Father then made a decision. None of my brothers would get the throne. They were disinherited. Next, father banished Crimson and Gold out of the kingdom. Crimson had gone to a volcano while Gold was sent to the desert. My last brother, Blue, was allowed to stay at the castle but was imprisoned in his room. Later, when my brothers were gone, I walked by fathers room and swore I heard him cry._

_Day xxx Month xxx_

_I miss my brothers. Only Lyrica's music brought a smile to my face. I love her so much. If only mother was alive. Then maybe she'd console father in this sad time. Nothing seems to snap him out of his depression._

_Day xxx Month xxx_

_Lyrica and I created a new song. Meanwhile father seems to have created more negative feelings. _

_Day xxx Month xxx_

_Father's found a new hobby to cope. Unfortunately it's not a good one. I watched him turn to dark magic and sorcery. From what I gather, it transforms his bad energy and feelings into more power. I feel a ruler of light and peace shouldn't be such activities. But to avoid Father's anger, I decided to stay quiet. This phase will pass soon enough and everything will return to normal._

_Day xxx Month xxx_

_Blue summoned me to his room, telling me that Father seems to have gotten worse. He claims to feel the darkness and black magic growing stronger. I told him I'd keep an eye on father…but it seems as though he had locked himself inside his room. _

_Day xxx Month xxx_

_Seeing Lyrica sitting under our oak tree, I had decided to tell her. Giving her a delicate rose, I confessed that I loved her. And the most wonderful feeling in the world...is that the girl you love, the most wonderful sweetheart in the world, loves you in return._

_Day xxx Month xxx_

_It's been months. Father finally came out of his room. But…he was clothed in strange black clothing. Even his hair and beard turned black. I questioned this but he said it was a gift from the dark magic. Father started to perform the magic across the castle. It concerns me. This man….why didn't he feel like the same father I once knew?_

_Day xxx Month xxx_

_To avoid father, I've been escaping the castle much more often. His new energy makes me on edge. He's tried to convince me to try dark magic but I refused. It seems as though the only light in my now dark life is Lyrica._

The last entry in the diary was many pages in.

_Day xxx Month xxx_

_Father went to me and told me I should marry in the near future. I had my bride in mind, lovely Lyrica, but he wanted to craft a wife using black magic. He said that human girls were insignificant and useless. I lost it. I argued that I wouldn't marry someone made of darkness and that a real ruler wouldn't submit to black magic like he had done. Father was furious at me for resisting and tried to force me into the marriage. We went our separate ways after that, no winner. But I refuse to marry anyone who isn't Lyrica. I went to see her once more but even as we started singing…I could feel a cloud of shadows envelop the castle and our future…._

After that, the pages were blank. No further entries. Ominous ending…Keith wondered what happened to Gavan. Feeling tired, Keith put the book away, turned his flashlight off and drifted to sleep.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**So we revealed a little information and a mini-story within the book Keith found back at the castle. But how does this relate to the redhead? What happened to Gavan and Lyrica?**

**It's…..a secret! Ahahaha!**

**Don't worry! The next updates on its way!**


	41. Meeting on the Rooftop

**Heads up. Short chapter but the next one's going to be longer. And awesome-er. AND FILLED WITH CHEESE DIP! Ok maybe not cheese dip. **

**Read, review, enjoy!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Everyone gathered on the roof bright and early the next morning. Today was the day to test the Blue Gem's power. A pedestal was placed at the center of the rooftop tree, with the dark shard machine a foot away. Kate hoped whatever was in store would bring peace and an end to the headache that shard was giving off.

"Now then. I developed an amplification system specifically for this test." Professor Hastings was saying. "The systems draws from the vitality of our Tree of Harmony. Using the dais and Blue Gem, our goal is to project the energy throughout Almia."

Hastings then set the Blue Gem onto the pedestal. It glowed brilliantly, bathing the entire rooftop in blue light. Kate watched dots of light traveled up the tree and released through the branches, flying off all over Almia. Something….something seemed to stir inside her. Why did the light make her heart race wildly? It felt like her blood was on fire! And….wait was there a trumpet playing? Sounded like it. A soft trumpet playing that echoed in the back of her mind.

"Incoming report!" Rhythmi ran up onto the rooftop. "The pokemon rampaging in Pueltown settled down! They're back to their usual selves!"

Right after, Marcus raced upstairs.

"I'm receiving a report!" Marcus said. "There were Vien forest pokemon being forced to march! They're free of control!"

"Aha! Just as I thought!" Hastings nodded, proud of what was accomplished. "What's on the dark shard meter?"

"Lemme check." Murph started to inspect the machine. "Super! The dark shard's power is down! But….oh wait….it's not at zero. Maybe just a third…?"

It was then Linda burst upstairs.

"Guys! Problem! There's still many pokemon under control in the Vien forest!" Linda told them. "Wait….got some news through the earphone. Pueltowns pokemon are under hypnosis again!"

"Hey. If you're all up here…" Keith was saying. "Then who's downstairs working the operating system?"

….

"GOTTA RUN!"

All three operators turned and dashed back downstairs to their stations. But Professor Hastings didn't notice. He was pacing again. Looking anxious over the experiment.

"Why didn't it work?" Hastings asked. "Is the Blue Gem's power not enough? Not complete? Was our plan a failure?"

Kate then remembered something.

"Keith? Wasn't the name of the gem 'Tears of Princes'?" Kate asked.

"Yeah." Keith replied.

"It's plural. 'Tears of Princes' is plural, referring to more than one. So maybe there's more than one gem." Kate reasoned. "And Murph said the energy dropped by a third. It's possible two more gems could be out there somewhere."

Everyone stared at her. Kate felt a little awkward saying that.

"That's actually quite smart of you, Kate." Hastings said. "I'll look into the matter. You and Keith should patrol like Wendy and Sven are now."

"Yes sir!" Kate and Keith saluted before leaving the rooftop.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

The day went by too quickly. As usual Keith did some quests alongside Kate. Nothing out of the ordinary. They met up with Rhythmi later on who seemed even bubblier than ever.

"Rhyth? You seem happy." Kate noticed.

"Look what I got!" Rhythmi smiled.

She showed them a necklace. There was a pendant with a yellow gem dangling on the end. Keith didn't know too much about jewelry to really care but Kate seemed interested.

"Can you believe Marcus gave me this?" Rhythmi told her, excited. "He said the color and fact it brings good luck reminded him of me!"

"Awww how sweet!" Kate said.

"So you've started dating him after all?" Keith smirked.

That earned him a smack on the head.

"NO." Rhythmi denied. "It just means we're really good friends. That's all."

"Right." Keith rubbed his head. "Cause really good friends just give each other necklaces."

"Maybe you and Kate should do the same because you're _really_ good friends." Rhythmi hinted.

Keith glared fiercely.

"Nah." Kate showed the sharpedo tooth. "I've got my own good luck necklace."

Thank arceus the girl was dense.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"_Keith…"_

Keith awoke in the middle of the night. Was someone calling his name? No…Kate and the pokemon were fast asleep. Must've been his imagination.

"_Keith…"_

That wasn't. A voice rang through his head, similar to that lucario's telepathy from the mission in the frozen tundra. But it was way too early to be dealing with that kind of thing. And the redhead was too tired. Keith tried to ignore it and go back to bed.

"_Keith…come…"_

"Not listening." Keith muttered.

"_Keith….you must come…."_

"Still not listening." Keith grumbled, starting to fall back asleep.

OW! What the hell? It felt like a train crashed into his skull! Aw arceus….what a headache….

"_Keith…you must come…."_

"Alright, alright. I'll come." Keith sighed.

Looks like staying in bed wasn't an option. Keith quietly got out of bed and slowly opened the door. He looked back at Kate's bed to make sure she was asleep. She looked so relaxed…so peaceful when asleep….

"_Keith…"_

"I'm coming." Keith mumbled.

He left the room and walked down the hallway. Keith could feel another presence in the Union building.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**What lies in wait for Keith? I suspect who or whatever it is, isn't liking Keith's early morning attitude.**

**Next update's flyin by! Er…I mean its coming soon.**


	42. Blue Spirit

***frantically writes***

**Gah! I'm trying trying TRYING to make this chapter perfect! Took so much out of me! Lotsa editing, rearranging things, changing dialogue, etc etc etc.**

**I hope you readers enjoy it…and read it. And review of course!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Keith followed the presence of the voice up another floor. And another. Suddenly, he found himself on the rooftop of the ranger union, under the Tree of Harmony. The Blue Gem was on its pedestal, protected by a glass case. Keith made a mental note to ask the professor whether it'd be the safest security should Dim Sun try to steal it.

"Keith. You made it."

"Yeah I made it. So who or what are you?" Keith asked, looking around.

The Blue Gem shimmered. Shiny cerulean light particles poured out of the gem and formed a shape in front of Keith. It was….a guy? Slightly older than the redhead. But his color was nothing but translucent blue. The clothes were way out of date. Looked regal and old fashioned.

"We finally meet Keith." The guy said. "My name is Blue."

Blue…? Keith knew the name.

"Do you mean from the diary?" He asked suspiciously.

"Exactly." Blue smiled.

"Then that means…" Keith gasped.

"I was one of the princes of Almia. But that was over a thousand or two years ago." Blue finished. "I've been waiting for you."

"I'm confused…why are you waiting for me? Why are you even appearing to me and not anyone else? What the heck is going on?" Keith spilled out a bunch of questions.

"First let me ask you something." Blue said. "What was in the journal you read about?"

"Well…" Keith tried to recall the details. "There was a prince named Gavan who I think was your brother. And he wrote that you and your brothers were disinherited and banished. Then the King got himself into dark magic and went crazy…at least I think that's it. Oh and some parts were about Gavan falling in love with this girl named Lyrica."

"So you did read it. And it seems you've got the jist of things." Blue told him. "But there's more."

Keith stayed quiet, ready to listen.

"Way back before the castle was encased in ice, my father ruled Almia with peace and prosperity. Sadly no king lasts forever so it was duty to choose the eldest son to take throne. But me and my brothers were born triplets. Which meant my father had three separate choices." Blue explained. "I had my ideas how to rule. And so did my brothers. We fought over many issues and it tore us apart."

"And the king banished you." Keith assumed.

"I was confined to my room while my brothers went to a volcano and desert. Father had no choice but let Gavan take the throne. He didn't seem to mind so much. Of course that was because he was exploring the kingdom." Blue continued. "I suppose the two had their ways of working things through the tough time. Gavan was with music. Father…well…he chose the wrong methods…"

"Black magic?" Keith said.

"Black magic." Blue sighed. "I saw the signs that father was getting too mixed up in it. Gavan eventually saw too but at that point, father locked himself in his room for months. When he came out, we had transformed to a man obsessed with darkness."

"Then there was that fight. But what happened?"Keith asked. "The diary ended there. What happened after the fight?"

Gavan paused for a long time. He held his hand to Keith's head.

"Maybe its best if I show you what happened."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_A flash of blue light and Keith found himself inside Almia castle. But…it was completely different! No ice or snow anywhere. Looked very royal and well cared for._

"_Father!"_

_Keith's attention turned to the main hall. On the throne chair was a man, assumed to be king. His hair was the blackest Keith's ever seen; same with the attire. He was glowering over two people some feet away. One was a guy with light brown hair and white clothes. Another was a pretty girl with a lilac dress and pearl-white hair. Keith had a feeling they were Gavan and Lyrica._

"_How dare you…" The king growled._

"_Father, please." Gavan tried to talk to him. "Why won't you let me marry Lyrica? Why won't you let me be with the girl I love?"_

"_You dare to defy me Gavan! This hideous creature is not made of darkness! She'll never be fit for you!" The king yelled. "I ought to slay her where she stands!"_

"_One scratch on her and I'll do much worse on you." Gavan threatened, serious._

_The king's hand glowed black. He held it up and swiped the air. A force hit Gavan and Lyrica off their feet, sending them crashed feet apart. It looked like it knocked the wind out of them as well. Keith watched, waiting for the next move._

"_And now…" The King raised his hand, directing it at Lyrica. "the final blow."_

"_No!"_

_Dark energy was cast towards Lyrica. But Gavan had ran over, shielding her from the attack. He cried out in agony as a dark electric bolts ran around his body. In seconds, where Gavan stood was a pile of clothes. Lyrica dug through the clothes and pulled out a Pikachu. _

"_He was cursed…" Keith thought. "Just….like….me…."_

"_NO….NO IT CANNOT BE! YOU FOOLS!"_

_The king looked like he was about to lose it. His eyes were turning blood red. He started to extend his body, skin becoming pure black as it did. Keith was horrified to see that the king was transforming into some sort of creature. A body warped all over, towering above the castle. It looked like a demon…_

"_THE WORLD WILL BECOME SHROUDED IN DARKNESS!" He spoke in a twisted voice. "I AM THE KING OF DARKNESS!"_

_The demon stared down at Lyrica and Gavan below. With a thrust of its palm, the demon raised the two into the air. They struggled, as though something from inside of them was making them suffer deeply._

"_Lyrica!" Gavan gasped for breath through the pain. "I…I'm sorry I couldn't protect you! I….love you…!"_

"_Gavan…I…I'll always love you!" Lyrica called back to him. "Pikachu or not…you're still…my only love…"_

_They looked at each other, sad smiles and tears in their eyes. And in a flash, they were gone. Particles of darkness exploded from where they once were. The demon had killed them._

"_WRETCHED HUMANS. YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR ME." The demon roared. "I'LL PLUNGE THIS WORLD IN DARKNESS!"_

_A soft trumpet sound rang in the air. Then a bell. And a buzz. From the sky, surrounding the demon, were three glows; blue, red and yellow. The blue one looked exactly like the one from the Union roof Keith had seen earlier. _

"_You will do nothing of the sort!" Blue's voice called from the light._

"_Time to restore Almia's peace!" Another voice, coming from the red, shouted._

"_And lock away the darkness!" The third added._

_The demon tried to swipe at the lights but failed. Instead, the brothers swirled around, getting closer and closer each loop. When they hit the demon, everything turned to white._

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

The vision ended. Blue released his hand from Keith, who was trying to accept all this new information. Both of the boys were quiet for a few minutes.

"So…the legend was true." Keith said softly. "You willed yourself to shine and took care of the darkness.."

"In a way." Blue shrugged. "We managed to lock the demon away in a world of shadows. The Shadow Crystal was the gate and darkrai was assigned as the guardian. But…we knew it wouldn't hold forever."

"Come again?" Keith froze.

"My brothers and I had a premonition. The demon would eventually return." Blue told him. "But we didn't have enough power left to stop it. So before turning into gems, we revived temporarily Gavan's spirit."

"What'd he do?" Keith asked.

"In the time he had left, he took almost all of his powers of light and combined them with Lyrica's exceptional music abilities. It would be enough to kill the demon. Gavan placed the powers inside a young girl." Blue explained. "I believe her name was….Kate?"

…

"WHAT?" Keith exclaimed. "How could he put this all on Kate?"

"All I know is she fits the qualities meant for carrying and wielding the power." Blue replied.

"I can't believe this! She can't take a demon on her own!" Keith objected, worried sick about Kate facing danger.

"She won't be. Cause you're here." Blue said.

"…huh?" Keith blinked.

"Kate's powers can't activate without the rest of the light. Gavan gave the last of it to you because he felt you could protect and help her like a true guardian." Blue told him. "Unfortunately, you also inherited Gavan's curse which I can tell is in effect now."

Lovely. So that's what the psychic meant when fate gave him that curse. But that did explain how Keith could read the diary entries.

"So if I'm her guardian, then what am I supposed to even do?" Keith questioned.

"Just keep protecting her, guide her along the path to light." Blue calmly answered.

The prince's body started flickering.

"Gavan chose you because he knew you'd do well." Blue said, slowly starting to vanish. "And I trust you'll do the same."

"Blue!"

"Good luck….."

And he was gone. Keith was left on the Almia rooftop alone, with the sun starting to rise.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Some questions about Kate and Keith have been answered through this chapter. We've some destined kids about to save the world! (haven't we heard that before? Heh heh heh). **

**But the adventure is still on! There's a lot than can go wrong and a lot of life-threating risks ahead in the future chapters! What kinds of risks, you ask? Well that's why I say a new update is coming!**


	43. Boyleland and Haruba

***dances***

**WOO! Turn up da music!...cause I can't write during thunderstorms. Ech. But hey; read, review and enjoy!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Good morning Professor Hastings. Hi Murph!"

Kate and Keith went up to the rooftop some hours later to check up on progress. The two were working hard but it didn't look like much success was being made. Kate noticed Keith had been acting a little off, like there was something on his mind. Was we feeling ok?

"The professor's been thinking all morning." Murph said. "No way to get through to him."

"And here I was hoping for a little action." Kate kidded.

"You know, I liked your suggestion on how there might be other gems. Now if only we knew more about it…" Murph sighed.

At that point, Rhythmi and Marcus came onto the roof to meet up with the others.

"Morning guys! Any progress?" Rhythmi asked.

"None what so ever." Keith replied.

As if on cue, the two operators suddenly started to glow. Rhythmi in yellow and Marcus in red. Murph's blue pendant reacted and shined along with them. Hastings immediately took notice.

"Shiny people! Step closer to the dark shard!" Hastings ordered.

They did as such. Kate watched as the sparkles the three gave off grew brighter, surrounding the dark shard. The dark shard itself grew transparent, crystal clear! Kate's headache was completely gone! Hastings, who observed the entire event, looked at the machine's meters.

"Zero! The meter's dropped down to zero like he hoped!" The professor turned to the operators. "Rhythmi? Marcus? What's making you glow?"

Both fished around, pulling out pendants with yellow and red stones.

"My pendants glowing?" Rhythmi blinked. "Oh! Marcus gave it to me as a present. He said it was from his trip to the Haruba Desert."

"And Rhythmi got me mine as a thank you." Marcus added. "Where did you get this?"

"The jewelry crafter said she found the stone on Boyleland." Rhythmi responded.

"You got Marcus a thank you present?" Keith smirked.

"Say one word and I'll turn you to dust, redhead." Rhythmi hissed.

"Am I missing something?" Marcus asked.

"Dunno." Kate sweatdropped.

During the time, Hastings had been pacing again. But it wasn't long before he spoke again.

"Kate, I'm sending you off to Boyleland. Search for the red crystal. Keith you'll be sent to the Haruba desert for the yellow crystal." Hastings instructed. "If you find them, secure it immediately. These missions are your most important yet!"

"We're on it!" The two saluted.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Both rangers decided to walk down together, before taking off. Kate seemed pretty excited about the new mission. She once had been in the volcano and seemed ready to tackle it again. Keith was happy for her. But also concerned. They hadn't done any missions apart since before the top ranger days. He wanted to protect her, keep watch over the girl.

"Oh wait…" Kate's voice got low. "What about _you-know-what_?"

You-know-wha?...oh….curse. Right.

"The desert's not so bad. It's just dry." Keith reassured. "But I am envious you get to go to an actual volcano."

"Boiling mad even?" Kate joked.

He couldn't help but chuckle. Even at a pun. Her humor….just another thing Keith loved about her. Kate…a beautiful, smart, adorable, brave ranger. That was also destined to save the world from a demon-induced darkness. Should Keith he tell her? It was big news. Kate had one heck of a role and unique power. She had the right to know. But who knew how Kate would react? What would she say?

"Keith? We're outside."

"Kate." Keith took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say…"

"Yeah?" Kate looked at him.

Those innocent eyes….those sparkling, bright, innocent eyes….Keith's weakness….

"Er…I just….wanted…to say…." Keith stumbled over his words.

She waited patiently. Keith gulped.

"…..good luck finding the Red Gem." He sighed.

"Aww thanks." She smiled. "But I bet I can find it before you find the yellow gem."

"Oh you're on." Keith challenged.

Maybe it was better for her not to know.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

A hop, skip and a jump, Kate reached Boyleland no problem. Thank you Wendy for the drop-off. Kate started to walk through town, eventually seeing a familiar face. A familiar face she had once argued with for over forty five minutes. She didn't want to talk to him…but it might be the only way to ever get info on the red crystal.

"Excuse me?" Kate walked up to him.

"CRINIMAL!" The village elder screamed.

He was suddenly fuming, storming off to his house. Kate was stunned for a moment.

"Do I look like a criminal or something?" Kate asked Chia.

"_Last I checked, no."_ Chia replied, surprised.

Kate ran after him. She knocked before going inside the house. The elder seemed even more ticked off at this.

"You! Thief! Be gone!" He yelled. "Don't you kidnap our pokemon again!"

"Sir…I'm a rang…" Kate was trying to say.

"Go away! Back to wherever you nasty crooks go!" The elder kept shouting.

After about twenty minutes of pointless arguing, a pre-teen girl came in.

"Grandpa! That's a ranger!" She told him. "Not Dim Sun!"

"Eh?" The elder inspected her. "Oh so you are! I confuse uniforms easily."

How on earth could _anyone_ mistake a red & white uniform for black & purple? Kate then started to explain about why she was on the island. The elder listened, silent for once, but he seemed baffled by it all.

"I can't make heads or tails of what you're saying." The elder shook his head. "But would you like to see the right side of the cave? I can unlock the pad door for you. Only a ranger could handle the dangerous terrain in there."

What? Gah! This wasn't helping!...wait….by unlocking the right side, Kate could get further into the cave! The left side wasn't much, judging on the last visit. But the other side could very well hold the red crystal!

"Why yes! I'd love to see the right side of the cave!" Kate accepted the offer.

"Great! Now let's go!" The elder said, grabbing the keys.

Kate jogged up to the right side of the volcano. There was an entrance like the village elder said. And like he said, the door was locked. The elder came up to the door and tried to fit the keys through the lock.

Clink clank.

"Uh? That's unusual…" The elder tried more keys. "Er? What won't they work?"

_Clink clank. Clink Clank. Clink Clank._

"Grandpa!"

The elders granddaughter ran up to them, holding a key.

"Grandpa you left the key behind!" She said. "It was on top of a note that said 'Key for Volcano Entrance'."

Yeah that figures…

"Hmmm…" The elder tried the key. "It works!"

The door opened.

"Watch out for flame spouts." Elder said.

He and the granddaughter left. Kate entered the cave, greeted by the familiar blast of heated air. No driftloon though. How would she cross the magma?

_Ring! Ring!_

"Voicemail! Hey Lucky! I heard you're in Boyleland!" It was Wendy.

"Yes and guess what? It's hot." Kate joked.

"Oh I wanted to give some advice. You can cross magma by riding on top of a torkoal." Wendy recommended.

"Won't that hurt them?" Kate asked.

"They're fire types! They love swimming in magma." Wendy reassured.

"Thanks Wendy." Kate said. "Are you handling any big missions?"

"Just chilling. I was going to hang out with Sven on my day off when he ditched me." Wendy sighed. "I swear there's nothing but hot air in that dumb hat of his…"

"Sorry." Kate sweatdropped.

"Your job's to focus on that big important mission. I'll handle that cowboy later." Wendy rolled her eyes.

The call ended. With the piece of advice in mind, Kate went forth into the heated volcano.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Thus another chapter has closed! Next up is Kate exploring the inside of the Boyleland Volcano! Can Kate withstand the heat and find the sacred jewel? **

**Find out! New update soon to arrive!**


	44. Heart of the Volcano

**We left Kate inside a volcano, ready to conquer whatever stands in her way! Her mission? Capture the Red Gem. Easy? Maybe. If not for the dangers that lay ahead for this ranger. Dangers that could kill her…leave her burnt to a crisp!**

**Read, review and enjoy! **

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Wooooo! Surfin on a torkoal!"

Kate had to admit it was fun. Nothing like the thrill of danger and risk of falling into the lava. Jumping and climbing around on the rocks just like the last time. Only now was the extra epic. The thrills got Kate's blood pumping. If only it weren't so dang hot…

"_Hey! I see an opening!"_ Chia pointed out.

Kate went through, finding a ledge on the outside of the volcano. Chilly, fresh ocean air; oh that felt so good! Maybe taking a break wouldn't be…..hey what's a Dim Sun grunt doing there? She seemed equally surprised to see Kate.

"Ranger! Hey was there a communications mixup with Lavana?" The grunt asked in a somewhat annoying girlish tone.

Lavana? Kate recognized the name. It was mentioned back in Almia Castle. One of the three leaders of Dim Sun.

"Chatots! Attack!" The grunt grabbed her miniremo and issued the commands.

Chatots? Really? In a way they did suit that grunt….annoying to listen to a little bit. But at least the pokemon were better looking. Kate managed to capture all five and release them. Familiar sound of a miniremo exploding.

"You meanie! I'm telling Lavana!" The grunt whined and ran back into the volcano.

Ring! Ring!

"Sparky! It's me again." Wendy.

"What's up?" Kate asked.

"Slipped my mind but I'd recommend bringing some water pokemon in there. Just in case." Wendy advised.

"I see some pelipper out here." Kate told her.

"Perfect!" Wendy said. "Whoop! Gotta run! Reports of Dim Sun hangin around Pueltown again."

The call ended. Kate decided to listen to Wendy and she captured two pelipper. Wasn't sure if it was enough but she could always come back to the cliff just in case. Once the captures were complete, Kate dove back into the volcano. Was it suddenly hotter?

"_I hate this fur sometimes…"_ Chia sighed.

"Come on buddy. Just a little ways to go." Kate coaxed.

Around the rocks, over ledges, down a little ways…Kate managed to press forward. When she got to the stairs, though, they were on fire. Impossible to get past. Without a pelipper.

"Water gun!" Kate issued a command to one of the water-birds.

A pelipper sprayed water onto the fire wall, clearing the way for Kate. After a thank-you and release, Kate charged on. Although from there on out, things seemed to get even more interesting. Flame spouts erupted from the ground; on and off at certain times. It took precise timing but Kate managed to squeeze past without getting burned. But the head-butting bagons and rhydon the ranger could do without.

"This wall of fire is impossible to put out!"

Kate got out of the flame spout area and over to the area where two Dim Sun admin girls were hanging around.

"Yeah but unlike a…um…computer wall, this one hurts!"

"Can't put it out without the fire brigade or water pokemon! Ugh!"

"Bawwwl! My makeups totally ruined from sweating!"

"Mine too! Let's just scoot away for a moment to fix our faces. Lavana won't know."

They looked and sounded like valley girls. Man were their voices so irritating. Kate stepped forward.

"Your makeup isn't the only thing that's baking in this heat." Kate smirked.

"EEEP! A ranger!" They screamed.

"And she's seeing us with my makeup ruined!" One of the girls cried.

"Oh yeah? We'll just make sure she doesn't get away to tell the world!" The other said.

Both had miniremos and wasted no time in typing. This round of capturing was Kate versus bagons. Their many head-butts didn't make things easy. Although maybe it was better to deal with bagon than a salamance. Kate focused on the individual bagons rather than as a group to slowly capture them all.

"LAVAVA!" The girls broke into tears and ran off. "Some rangers messing with us!"

Drama queens. Kate rolled her eyes and continued forward into the cave. But she could tell she was getting closer to the center of the volcano. There seemed to be more magma than land and lots of powerful pokemon. Not to mention the heat…yikes it was intense! The second pelipper came in handy for another fire wall (and spraying Kate and Chia). Kate climbed more rocks, surfed on a torkoal and rode a driftblim up to another level.

_Ring! Ring!_

"Voicemail!" It was Rhythmi this time. "I've got some indications of a strong pokemon up ahead. Be prepared!"

"Thanks Rhyth!" Kate said.

She flipped communications off. Kate took two steps when she heard someone yell.

"What is going on here?"

The same Dim Sun admins came back but were joined by a new girl. Not much older than Kate was. Her hair and outfit, pink and diva, alone told Kate she was different from admins and grunts of Dim Sun. Kate had a feeling that this was Lavana.

"How did a lowly ranger get _this_ far?" Lavana questioned.

"I think someone opened the door for her." An admin replied. " She's considered a hero around here for that whole ordeal with our ship."

"What about you? How'd you get in here?" Kate questioned.

"Easy. I broke into the elders house and made a copy of that key." Lavana answered smugly. "Allow me to introduce myself."

A hair flip and a slight twirl. Did every leader do that?

"I am part of the Sinis Trio, a boss favorite, one of the leaders of Dim Sun. I am Lavana!" The pink haired girl said. "Passionate as a volcano, just like this volcano!"

"And we're the crimson unit!" The admins cheered.

"Stay out of the spotlight." Lavana hissed at them before turning back to Kate. "You're after the red gem too aren't you? Too bad. There's only one."

"Then I think you should leave." Kate told her.

"HA! No." Lavana huffed.

She pulled out a miniremo and did another hair flip. Almost as annoying as the valley girls.

"You're getting me fired up ranger!" Lavana shouted. "You are so going down!"

An infernape appeared. Kate was ready and started the capture. This infernape was a tricky one. It hopped around, spreading flame spots everywhere. When it wasn't doing that, it launched explosions of fire all over the place. Kate hadn't encountered a challenge like that in awhile! But it was getting her pumped up. Dodging hits and creating loops, Kate didn't back down under the heat. About two-thirds the way in, something unexpected happened.

"_AAAAHHHH!"_

Chia got into the crossfire and was smacked several feet away.

"CHIA!"

Unfortunately, Kate looked back at the pachirisu for a quick moment and lost sight of the infernape. The fire ape slammed into Kate, knocking her onto the edge of the rock and over the lava. Infernape came over and was ready to deliver the final blow in the form of a fire punch. As it leapt into the air, Kate rolled to right and barely avoided the hit. She leapt back up and was rejoined by Chia, who launched an electric attack. Thanks to that, Kate was able to successfully capture the infernape.

Miniremo explosion. Infernape goes free. Lavana watched the entire scene in shock. She seemed worn out by the excitement and was cracking under the volcano heat.

"What's the matter Lavana? Can't take the heat?" Kate taunted.

"You…" Lavana was gasping for breath. "Your problems aren't….solved by defeating me….you're still going to have…trouble….with the pokemon a….ahead…."

The leader and the girls ran past Kate, disappearing out of the volcano. Kate shook her head at them. Now for the red gem. The ranger crossed over a narrow bridge, above magma that seemed three times as hot and active that before. Dozens of flamespouts and volcanic rocks thrown into the air wasn't making the trek easy. But Kate made it.

"Onto the red gem." Kate said.

"_Ack…hurry up!"_ Chia was panting. _"This heat's killing me!"_

The next room Kate entered was small. It was dark, with the glow of bright magma boiling underneath the rocks. In the back, on a dais, was a fire-shaped Red Gem that glistened from within its shield. There was a faint sound of a bell…sort of like the trumpet the Blue Gem gave off back at the Union. She took a step forward.

Ssssssshhhhhhhhhhh!

Kate saw two bursts of steam fly out from the ground. Tremors started, nearly knocking her off her feet. Right away, molten magma spouted like fountains. There was a roar, coming from one. Before Kate could react, something jumped out from the spout and landed before the Red Gem.

"Heatran…" Kate gasped.

She has heard of it from stories as a kid. A pokemon that was born from magma and lived in volcanoes. Incredibly rare to find nowadays but powerful. And also known to be territorial of their domain. Explorers were known to have their lives lost to this colossal pokemon.

The heatran took giant steps towards her. Kate got her styler ready for one heck of a capture. Heatran was about to attack when it stopped, looking over Kate as if it sensed something. It's eyes glowed red. Kate suddenly felt her mind was being intruded, her memories being scanned. Was this heatran going through her brain? But…why? Odd since it wasn't even a psychic pokemon. Kate was about to ask when it finished, taking a step back and its eyes returning to their amber color.

"Gwaaaaag." The heatran backed up to the dais.

It got rid of the shield and set the Red Gem down. Heatran turned to face Kate and gave her a nod. And then….it disappeared into thin air. Gone. Just like the lucario.

"What was that all about?" Kate whispered.

She walked up to the Red Gem and secured it in her possession. Mission Complete!

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Another job well done, dear!"

Kate was welcomed by Erma and Hastings upon returning back to the Union. Never before had Kate appreciated the true genius behind air conditioning. She gave the professor the Red Gem, who applauded her bravery, and was rewarded with a promotion!

Once she was free to go and treated a few burn spots, Kate decided to rest in her room. It was hardly any time at all before the ranger and pachirisu fell asleep.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Red Gem, secured! Two down, only one more to go. Hmmm…what you readers assume that Heatran was doing? And is it possible Kate might find out the truth eventually?**

**So many questions, so little time. Your next update, if you choose to accept it, shall arrive soon!**


	45. A Different Kind of Capture

**Another short chapter. But believe me, it does NOT lack in awesomness. We've got some pretty big stuff comin up for Kate and Keith! **

**Go Read! I choose you, Review! Attack, Enjoy!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate woke up the next day to a new message on her styler from Keith. He had been checking in to see if Kate got the Red Gem, how she was doing and to tell her he'd be back soon enough with the Yellow Gem (ok that last part seemed a little bit _too_ proud…). It was nice of him to check in with her. She tried to call Keith but it was busy. That dial tone she heard meant he was busy capturing something. Oh well. Kate could call again later or even just wait for the redhead to return.

In the meantime, she changed into a new uniform and went up to the roof where the Red Gem was being placed. Professor Hastings set it on one of the three pedestals next to the Blue Gem's. Kate heard the familiar trumpet music being joined by a bell as red orbs of light traveled through the tree, out the branches and into the air, all over Almia. That feeling….it was stirring within her again. But it was becoming stronger, more warm…pulsing through Kate's veins. Strange…Kate almost felt like singing. Almost. As if music was in more than just her mind. Like it was inside her spirit and blood too.

"Well…" Hastings voices grabbed her attention. "All we can do now is wait impatiently for Keith to return with the Yellow Gem."

"Sorry to interrupt!"

Rhythmi strolled onto the scene. She seemed fascinated by the glows of the gems but then remembered why she was upstairs.

"Message from Keith." Rhythmi said. "He's had some trouble with the temple but will go on to face the guardian of the Yellow Gem in a moment. But there's no need to worry, he added."

"Hmmmm…" Hastings didn't like the message. "Kate, this is strictly for peace of mind. Could you go check on Keith and make sure he's doing as alright as he says?"

"Of course." Kate accepted the mission.

She went back down through the Union building. If the guardian was anything like Lucario and Heatran, Keith would be out of that temple by the time she got to the Haruba Desert. And Keith was strong and way too stubborn to back down from a challenge. What could possibly go wrong?

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Keith got the last of the captured pikachus to recharge the styler. Arceus…that temple was annoying to go through. Luckily he was near the end. Just walk on in, befriend whatever guardian pokemon was there, grab the gem and go. Nothing to it.

"Ready to go, Wave?" Keith asked his buddy.

"_Ready when you are!"_ The buizel replied.

The next room was somewhat cool. Some grass and sand where little pokemon rested, content. In the middle of the large room was a pool of sparkling blue water. A bridge connected the door at the other end to the land a few feet in front of Keith. The redhead started to walk on inside.

All of a sudden, Wave started growling. He seemed a bit agitated by something.

"Wave? What's wrong?" Keith asked, looking around.

BAM!

Something hit the back of his head super hard, sending Keith onto his knees. What the hell was that! Keith didn't have time to respond to the attack before his arms were grabbed by what felt like over-sized hands. He tried to break free but felt his head get pounded harder.

"BWA HA HA!" A thick, evil voice rang from the captor. "You not so tough, eh?"

"Wave!" Keith glanced to his right.

Wave was being held up by a magnezone. There were two more Dim Sun grunts coming by, bringing rope. The person holding Keith slipped his styler off the rangers wrist. Keith made another attempt to break free but found the grip on his ranger-ing arm tightening. One jerk and a snapping sound later, Keith cried out in pain.

"Let me go!" Keith yelled as the ropes were being tightly tied around him.

"You quiet!" A hit to his face this time. "We be in control."

Arcues…this was bad….

"Wave! Run!" Keith shouted.

Wave refused, instead trying to escape the magnezone to get to his partner. That buizel was too loyal to leave him. Keith had no choice.

"Wave! I'm ordering you to get help!" Keith commanded. "NOW!"

"Quiet!" The thick voiced captor snapped; with another punch to the arm.

Wave seemed hesitant to leave. But he did. He'd go off and find whatever help he could. At least Wave would be safe from whatever the maniacs were planning. Keith? Not so much. The ranger felt pain shoot out from all over, most of it in his head and arm. Keith felt himself being pushed. There was a faint sound of an approaching helicopter.

"Phase one of plan done. Now we do step two."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate leaned on the railing of the speedboat. It was a long time since she got to ride on a boat. The salty ocean breeze, the splashing waves…everything was so amazing and perfect. Even Chia was having a good time, chasing the captain's meowth. Kate debated whether she should call Keith on the styler. A small part of her had this feeling. A weird feeling that said something was wrong.

"We'll be arriving in Haruba in a little while." The captain came out next to her. "Hey its really nice out here!"

"I'll say!" Kate agreed.

"It's days like this that make me enjoy boating." The captain said.

"Back up a moment….if you're here, then whose driving the…."

CRASH!

"…boat?"

Kate had fallen onto the floor. What happened? Smooth ride up until the crash!

"Sorry!" The captain frantically apologized. "Luckily there's no damage on the ship. We seemed to just bumped over a pokemon."

And that makes it better…._how_?

"BUFFFFOOOOOOOH!"

A pillar of water shot straight out of the water, next to the boat. Kate looked into the water to see a dark shadow below. It was a gigantic pokemon from the looks of it. Might be in trouble. Kate grabbed the aqua-lung and climbed up onto the railing. She gave Chia a pokemon aqua-lung, which Nage had tested prior to the dive (thank goodness).

"You're not seriously diving down there are you?" The captain questioned. "I know these waters. And it's….it's…..salty!"

"It's the ocean…" Kate blinked.

"Uh yeah." Captain sweatdropped.

Kate slipped the aqua-lung on and dived into the water with Chia.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Packed with adventure and drama! What will Kate find under the water? And will Keith be alright? Only time will tell….time that shall soon bring a new chapter!**


	46. Suffering

**I giveth to you a brand new chapter!**

**This chapter is a lot different than many you've seen. I decided to try something different and new this time around. And also, I've decided to dedicate this chapter to another SoA ranger writer who goes by the name SakraTheHedgie. Thanks for the inspiration and being so darn nice! **

**Read, review and enjoy….if you dare…..MUA HA HA HA HA…why am I evilily laughing? **

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Hours had passed. Was it hours? Felt more like days….weeks…..eternities even. Keith groaned in pain, hardly able to breathe with the ropes squeezing him so hard. The ropes had once been brown. They were now stained red from blood with a little black oil. Ugh the stench of the oil and rust from machine parts was terrible. It only added to the pain.

Never before had Keith felt so close to death. His arm used for captures was twisted, most likely dislocated. Blood was pouring from it, due to the ropes slashing his arm. Earlier, the Dim Sun leader had beaten and slashed him. Heath, right? Sounded like a type of candy bar than a name. But of course saying that out loud earned him a harsher pounding. His nose was bleeding and Keith was sure he had some severe bruises on his face. The rest of his body ached with dark colored spots and blood.

He messed up. Big time. Keith hadn't seen the trap and waltzed straight into it. Now he was being held against his will inside a helicopter for who knows what. Only two thoughts consoled him. Wave had managed to escape, avoiding what could have been a similar fate. Keith would never want his loyal, caring buizel to get hurt. That's why he ordered Wave to go find help. Odds of finding anyone for help was slim at best. But the pokemon would be safe.

His second thought was about Kate. Kate…thank heavens she was assigned to the volcano. If they had switched places…Keith shuddered just thinking about it. A sweet angel like her would never be able to withstand the pain Keith was enduring. He would suffer like this a thousand times if he knew his girl was safe. As much as Keith wished to see her again…he knew it would be best if Kate wasn't there to witness what was going on.

"Ahahaha! Silly Keith!"

The familiar thick voice with a terrible accent. Heath walked up to Keith and grabbed his neck, hoisting the ranger to his feet. This Sinis Trio leader was a weird one. Weird voice, weird looks, weird body & outfit…clearly it was the brutality that got him the spot as leader. Two grunts held Keith back.

"Awww yous be sad." Heath taunted. "You no be sad when we call friend."

Keith watched the leader take out a styler…_his_ styler.

"Hey give it back!" Keith yelled.

Bam!

A punch to the stomach. Keith coughed, trying to recover from the pain. Heath had typed some stuff and activated the voicemail.

"Vicemail! Vicemail!" Heath said. "It's me Hea….Keith!"

"Keith?"

Oh no….he was calling Kate!

"What's up Keith? You sound different." She cheerfully replied. "I'm with Sven and Issac right now. Huge mission at one of the idiot Dim Sun's bases."

Heath was using the voice-only feature and not the screen. Dang it…Kate wouldn't be able to see what was going on!

"KA…" Keith's mouth was covered before he could warn her.

He tried to speak, to yell out a warning to Kate. No sound came out.

"You remember crystal? I call you about gem? Big and yellow?" Heath asked.

"….yeah?" Kate cautiously replied.

'_Kate, don't talk to that guy! It's a trap! Imposter! Hang up dammit!'_

"You my friend. You handle rock." Heath told her. "I have other mashup to do."

'_Are you kidding me? This guy's a total joke…' _

"Mission?" Kate responded. "Don't you mean mission?"

"Is Keith fooling around _again_?" Sven's voice was heard in the background.

'_No I'm not! That's not me! I'm tied up by a psychopath!'_

"Yes. You come to Haruba Desert now! Hurry, hurry!" Heath urged before hanging up.

The leader laughed and hit Keith in the chest. Keith cringed, feeling another round of pain. Heath said something about not waiting long before leaving Keith in the darkness.

"Damn it!" Keith banged his head as he leaned against the wall.

It was all his fault. The love of his life was about to walk into a trap and there was nothing Keith could do. He was failing to protect her. What sort of guardian was he to let this happen? Now Kate would be in trouble. She could get hurt…or worse. As Keith slipped into unconsciousness, a few tears escaped from his worried eyes…

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

A brutal slap Keith woke Keith up. He weakly looked up at the chubby leader who was dialing the styler once more. Two Dim Sun grunts held onto his arms and covered his mouth, though Keith could hardly keep up his strength.

"Silly ranger fall asleep." Heath chuckled. "I about to call vicemail again."

He activated the voicemail feature and cleared his throat. Not that it would've made his voice any better.

"Vicemail! It's Hea…Keith!" Heath said.

"Hey Keith. Something wrong?" Kate asked.

'_Hang up, hang up, HANG UP! Come on Kate! Don't listen to this jerk!"_

"I sent you vicemail earlier! Why you no here! We need yellow rock!" Heath snapped.

"I was on another mission, remember?" Kate sighed, a little annoyed. "Kincaid's gliscor nearly did me in. Now I've got matching scars on my arms. Although judging on your tone,_ you_ don't seem to care."

Keith's eyes grew wide.

'_Of course I care! I care about you Kate! Always have! Damn it…."_

"No time for lame story! Why you not coming here? Quickly! Come, come! Now, now!" Heath yelled.

'_You jerk! Quit telling her what to do!'_

"Alright already! I'm in the town right now." Kate seemed to be losing her patience. "I'll get there as fast as I can."

'_Kate get out of there! Go back to the Union! Anywhere but the temple! Please don't go!'_

"Are you sure you're ok?" She questioned. "You're definitely not yourself. And if that stupid accent is part of your way of showing off…"

'_It isn't cause that's not me! Why can't you see that?'_

"My accent is not….er….yes. I just showing off." Heath said. "Hurry! This be important mashup!"

"Mission." Kate corrected.

"Just come!" Heath hung up.

He seemed smug about the ordeal. Keith couldn't look up much but fixed whatever glare he could at the Heath. How dare he talk to Kate like that? If Keith could get out of the ropes, he'd thrash him good. One scratch on his girl and _someone_ was going to pay. Kincaid had already earned a spot for revenge. Who dared to add onto the list?

Heath was confident but grew bored and impatient after about fifteen, twenty minutes. After using Keith for a punching bag, he called Kate again.

"Vicemail! I is Keith!" He shouted. "I said come right away did I not?"

"Will you shut up for just one minute?" Kate was getting irritated. "I can't teleport there instantly now can I?"

Keith listened, feeling terrible. She had no idea what was in store.

"You be nicer! Cause I be your friend! Me!" Heath ordered.

"You haven't been acting like one as of late." Kate said with a cold tone.

Heath hung up once more. His smirk was evil, twisted. That idiot…making him sound like a jerk to Kate and luring her into a trap. Keith was furious. What did Heath even have in mind with Kate? What sort of scheme would he release? Would Kate be alright?

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

A yank to his feet woke up Keith. When did he fall asleep? Must've been during another hit-session with the blond sumo-wrestler of a Dim Sun leader. Keith could feel the helicopter was slowly descending. Heath was standing by the open doorway, trying to pose dramatically like a villain in a movie. Weirdo.

"Hoy, Kate!"

'Oh arceus no….she really did come….'

"Who the hell are you?" Keith could hear Kate yell over the helicopter as it landed. "Where's Keith?"

There was the sound of Chia's sparks lighting up and a growl from another pokemon….Wave!

"Very dumb of you to follow silly vicemail all way out into desert." Heath snickered. "I imitating Keith good yes? Mimic him good? Like he was me?"

"Hardly! I knew from the first call that something was wrong!" Kate objected.

She knew? Yes! Way to go Kate! Keith never felt more proud.

"I am boss's favorite! My name Heath! Not Keith!" Heath haughtily introduced himself. "How do you like _that_?"

"Where's Keith? What did you do with him?" Kate questioned, infuriated.

"I came to desert for yellow rock. But strong pokemon Cresselia being guard to rock. Too much for Heath." The brute started to explain, holding Keith's styler. "I hear of you. Ranger who skillful at the capturing. So I thinks I will wait. But along comes Keith instead. He no good! Then I hatch plan! Reel in Keith using 'friend-o-Keith' act as bait. I send vicemail and now you here."

Despite being a moron with a completely screwed up accent, the Dim Sun leader did have _something_ in his head. Just not much. Not using much effort, Heath crushed the styler with his bare hand. Keith wanted to rearrange Heath's face. And it seemed as though Kate was thinking the same thing.

"Now you understand." Heath stretched his palm out. "You give rock to me."

"Forget it." Kate refused.

"I be fair. I trade you something for rock." Heath offered.

"If it's anything like Ice's offer for ice cream sodas, then no." Kate said.

"No! I mean something else!" Heath laughed. "You may like offer."

Keith was shoved into the doorway, right into Kate's view. He heard her gasp.

"Kate don't do it! Don't give him the gem!" Keith shouted.

Her eyes….fear was written all over them. Was she scared for him? Kate was looking at her best friend covered in blood and bruises. He must've been one sorry sight. If only he could run to her…comfort her…whisk her away from the danger…to hold her in his arms again. How could he let this whole thing happen? How pathetic could he be…

"Silly Keith. Brave? Yes. Smart? HA." Heath said. "Make trade? Yellow crystal rock for blue-faced Keith?"

"No!" Keith yelled. "I can't let you do this!"

Kate stared down at the gem, deep in thought. It was a minute or two when she looked back up at Heath. She was upset but determined. Keith knew exactly what she was going to say…

"Alright. I'll do it." Kate sighed, defeated.

Heath jumped down from the helicopter. He came over and swiped the gem out of Kate's hands.

"Now give me Keith." Kate told him.

"I will." A devious, chilling smile crept up the leaders face. "After I has fun of my own."

One swift movement and he clutched Kate's throat. Heath lifted her into the air as she started choking.

"KATE!" Keith struggled to get out of the ropes, ignoring the intense pain.

Heath slammed her onto the bridge, almost like a seismic toss. He knocked Kate around, striking his fists across her face and arms. At some point it appeared that she blacked out. Keith tried getting out from his ropes but found it nearly impossible. They were too tightly tied to break free without help. But he had to….Keith had to get out and save Kate!

"Well Kate…" Heath grabbed her wrist. "Hows about a swim?"

He whipped Kate off the bridge and into the water.

"NO!"

As Heath threw her, the Yellow Gem gave a quick buzz and flash. The flash surrounded Keith for a second, releasing him from the ropes. Keith didn't hesitate to jump off the helicopter and into the water, trying to rescue Kate. The water was much deeper than Keith had anticipated it to be. It was many feet deep, with darkness along the bottom.

'_Kate...'_

Keith caught her and fished for the aqua-lung in her belt pouch. He gave it to her and began to swim back up. Wave had dove in after them. With the buizels help, Keith was able to get back to the surface. He gasped for breath and climbed onto land, setting Kate gently down beside him.

"Thanks buddy…" Keith pat Wave's head. "Sorry about what happened."

Wave was rubbing his arm. Wait…was Wave purring? He almost never did that. Buizels were too proud for purring. Wave must've been worried.

"Chippa!"

Chia was standing nervously over Kate. Keith checked her pulse and breathing. Thank arceus…both were good. She was alive. But Kate was bleeding and needed medical attention right away.

"Ack…nnnnnggg…."

And apparently, so did Keith.

Keith knew that getting them back to the Union on their own wouldn't be possible. Not in the condition either were in. But if he could at least get them outside the temple, then someone could help them. And Keith had an idea who could. Since his styler was busted, he grabbed Kate's and called the Union.

"Voicemail! Kate, Keith's signal went off the…" Rhythmi answered the call.

"It's not Kate! It's me, Keith!" Keith said.

"Keith?" Rhythmi was obviously shocked. "Where's…?"

"No time! We're both in trouble and we need staraptors to get back to base!" Keith winced through his severe pain. "Ya think Wendy can pick us up?"

"Uh…yeah! I can talk to her! I'll get Sven too." Rhythmi frantically replied. "Are you two ok?"

"Not sure." Keith groaned. "Just send help…"

He was getting weaker. Keith forced himself to cut off communications with the worried operator. His strength was needed to get them both out of there. There wasn't much left. But it would have to be enough.

"Kate…" Keith stroked her cheek, eyes watering up.

Oh he loved her so much. Keith would get her out of there. He'd make sure her life would be spared. Even if it meant giving his own life. Summoning every ounce of power he had left, Keith raised Kate onto his back. She didn't weigh much but his pain did. But Keith would walk a hundred miles if he had to. Saving Kate was all that mattered to him.

"_Keith? Be careful…"_ Wave anxiously followed behind, with Chia next to him.

There was a light in the corner of the room. Keith remembered seeing it in Almia Castle before. It teleported him and Kate out of there before. Maybe this would land him in front of the Hippowdon Temple. Taking a chance, he staggered into the light.

A quick flash. In seconds, Keith felt sands in the wind and the blistering sun. It worked! He and Kate made it out. Now all that was left….was…to get help….

"Urgh…" Keith crashed onto the ground.

He was losing his consciousness. The last thing he saw was the silhoutettes of large bird pokemon and two people flying down from the sky.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

…**.reason number one why I've always hated Heath. And I suspect I'm not alone. XD**

**Hang in there Keith! You can make it! I believe in ya! So do the readers! Don't you worry! The next update's coming soon!**


	47. Recovery

**So we've got Ice who'll be murdered for the kiss, then Heath to be killed for hurting Keith and there's Lavana who's just going to be pounded for be annoying. Sinis Trio is not a well liked group.**

**Back to the story, here's a symbol you guys haven't seen in awhile. (*) Remember what it means? The song for this chapter is the spirit pipe song from Zelda Spirit Tracks. **

**Read, review, enjoy! Maybe even listen too? **

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

It was just like that one other time. Kate felt herself becoming more aware as time slowly crept on. A cool environment that, at the same time, was comfortable and let her relax. Her muscles felt a little sore. But otherwise, not much pain at all.

"Morning. Goodness…I thought you'd never wake up!"

Kate opened her eyes, her vision a bit blurry at first. It took her a moment to realize she was in her room and Rhythmi was sitting beside her. She looked happy and relieved.

"What happened?" Kate asked with a slight groan.

"Everyone here in the Union is hoping you could tell us." Rhythmi replied. "You went to Haruba desert. Next thing we know, Keith calls on your styler for help and Wendy and Sven find you outside the temple uncon…"

"Keith!" Kate sat straight up. "Is he alright?"

She looked at the redhead's bed to see him asleep. There were bandages and gauze wraps all over him from what Kate could see.

"He took some really hard hits. But he'll be alright." Rhythmi told her. "One of the operators on the first floor knows medicine and she patched you two up. Luckily the injuries will heal in 2-3 days. You've been given that amount of time to stay in bed and heal."

Silence. Kate glanced at her partner. What had that cruel kidnapper done to him?

"Can you tell us what happened?" Rhythmi asked.

Kate explained as much as she could. After the mission with Sven and Issac (who Kate learned was staying in the Union), the fake voicemails, getting the Yellow Gem from Cresselia, Heath holding Keith for randsom…everything she knew. Last thing Kate remembered was being slammed into the ground by the Dim Sun leader.

"Oh you poor thing!" Rhythmi gasped, shocked her own best friend went through all that.

"Sorry I had to give the gem to the bad guys but it was the only way to save Keith." Kate apologized but not regretting her decision.

"You did good. And I'm sure Hastings and Erma would understand." Rhythmi assured her. "Actually…I better tell them this. Before I do, you've got a little present."

The operator pulled something out of her pockets. It was a wooden windpipe instrument. Pokemon of all sorts were etched in, around the soothing colors. This was truly a work of art. Had to be made from a fine craftsman.

"Where did you get this?" Kate asked, feeling over the smooth texture.

"Wasn't from me! The Vientown rangers heard about this and sent this over to us, saying it was for you." Rhythmi replied. "They said they heard it's supposed to represent good luck and spirits. I guess they want you to get better as much as everyone else around here does."

"Tell them I say thanks." Kate smiled.

"Sure thing." Rhythmi got up. "I'll also let you rest for awhile. Gotta recover, you know?"

"Thanks Rhyth." Kate appreciated that.

Rhythmi slid out of the room, shutting the door gently behind her. Kate looked at Keith over in his bed. Keith…what happened? Did he pull her out of there himself? But he had been suffering through his own pain. It couldn't have been an easy task. Must've completely used up all his strength and will. No wonder he still fast asleep, 'dead to the world'.

Maybe he was an idiot himself at times. And true, Keith was as stubborn as a tauros most of the time. Yet…he had always been there for Kate. Through good and bad times, Keith never left her side. The guy who made her laugh and tagged along on patrol was the same guy who comforted her worst fears and let her cry into his shoulders. Keith had a sensitive side, which Kate appreciated. He also was confident, raring to go, upbeat and fun to be with. Kate had actually began thinking of the bold, hot-headed ranger a lot more often. Why? Why did she suddenly start to think different of him?

Wait…could it be? Did she…._like_ Keith?

No way! She couldn't like him! But…she did. Kate liked him. A lot. There wasn't any other explanation. Human or Pikachu, Kate was developing feelings for Keith. Even if Keith never felt the same way about her (which Kate knew would be the case), she still liked him. She wanted to be by Keith's side, never lose him.

Kate's fingers slid across the soft texture of the wooden windpipes as she stared at Keith. He was honestly cute. Growing to be more handsome. And the green eyes…that was what Kate loved the most about his looks. It was like a fire burned in there. They changed to every emotion and reaction there ever was! Keith's eyes were just captivating. Why hadn't Kate realized this sooner?

Something in Kate sparked inside her. She wanted to thank Keith for helping her in the Haruba Desert and apologize for the entire incident. Bringing the windpipes to her mouth, Kate began to play.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**(*)**

The first thing Keith heard was music. Soft, steady music….it relaxed his tension and uneasiness. Sort of blended with the cool air in the room. Almost made him forget the pain altogether. Keith slowly opened his eyes.

Kate…Kate was making the music. Just as beautifully as ever. Thank arceus she was alright. If she was playing…er…whatever instrument that was, then she had to be making progress on recovery. He watched her focus on the music, playing it perfectly. Even in bandages, Kate still looked gorgeous.

"Beautiful song." Keith commented when she was finished.

"Keith!" Kate seemed a bit startled. "You're up!"

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Better. But I should be asking you." Kate answered. "You went through a lot more than I did."

Keith couldn't agree more. When he wasn't in agony over the many injuries, he was worrying about Kate. Redhead was genuinely surprised he hadn't had a heart attack yet.

"Sore but fine." Keith smirked. "You can't get rid of me that easy."

Kate laughed at the remark. It was good to hear that wonderful sound again. The light in her eyes was back and seemed…huh…different. Like there was something extra in them. Keith was curious as to what it was.

"Hey." She smiled. "Thanks."

"For what?" Keith blinked.

"For back at the temple. You managed to drag us both out of there despite what you were going through." Kate told him. "I had no idea what you went through…"

"It was nothing and that's all in the past." Keith reassured her. "We'll just get out of bed and go back out on missions!"

"Once we heal up in 2-3 days during our forced days off." Kate said.

"Awwww…" Keith pouted. "I can't sit around in bed all day…"

"Me neither." Kate agreed.

"We could always sneak out." Keith deviously suggested.

"You realize everyone we know will be keeping an eye on us." Kate snickered.

"Gah. Good point." Keith sweatdropped.

"Though there's always sneaking out the window…" Kate joked.

"Now we're talking!" Keith cheered. "Hey…it just occurred to me but where are our partner pokemon?"

"Dunno. I assume around the base somewhere?" Kate looked around the room.

Keith grinned. She was just so cute. Maybe spending time with her like this for a few days wouldn't be so bad after all.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Cue pink fluffy hearts! Cue rose petals and music! Cue….pid!**

**We've got a little romance! Isn't it sweet? Now if only **_**someone **_**would confess! Maybe they will in the next few updates. One of which is approaching quickly!**


	48. Unlocking Blueprints and Feelings

**We're starting to come to the epic final fight in the story. But you know me by now. It's going to be a LOT different than what you've seen before! We're going to have some real action and awe-inspiring awesomeness jammed into chapters like never before! I've got a lot of things in store for Keith and Kate. It'll be a tough road for them…but the ending, I promise dear readers, will be worth it in the end. **

**Sniffle….I can't believe we're at this point already! And it's amazing how many of you really care about this story! I never expected this!**

**Read, review and CELEBRATE!...enjoy!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Three days passed. Kate and Keith had many visitors during the time they spent in their rooms. Rhythmi tried to come by whenever she could. But things had been hectic since the entire Union was crazy busy. Wendy and Sven came by a few times. Issac had mostly withdrawn from people but managed a visit or two. Kate knew. She understood that the genius was trying to get over the shock of being used. And then there was some calls via styler from the Vientown rangers, who yelled at her to be more careful (nice to see they still cared). When the duo wasn't being visited, they were talking to each other. Strangely, though, their partner pokemon had been going on off on their own a lot. Who knew where they went?

Kate's feelings for Keith were starting to blossom. And Keith? He just kept falling deeper in love. But neither confessed what they felt…

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Good to see you're both back."

The injuries healed over. Kate and Keith eagerly reported back for duty the morning they were given the clear. Hastings and Erma gave them both a warm welcome.

"Professor Hastings, have you learned anything from the Incredible Machine's blueprints?" Erma asked.

"Blue prints? Incredible Machine?" Keith was lost.

"Back in the mission with Sven, I found out that Dim Sun was building something called an Incredible Machine." Kate explained. "All the blueprints are recorded on some digital files."

"Which I haven't uncovered yet, I'm sorry to say." Hastings finished. "The data disc is locked and password protected. No one in our research team has yet to crack it."

"Can't Issac tell you the password?" Kate asked.

"He's withdrawn from everyone." The professor sighed. "Our only achievement these last few days was deciphering a page of the diary. Brighton discovered about the three gems and how the Shadow Crystal loathes them, but also is attracted to them."

Keith had a feeling it was best to keep quiet about what he knew.

"The password? It's….it's Melody…"

Everyone turned to see Issac nervously come up the stairs.

"I thought long and hard about everything that happened. I'm ashamed to realize this now…but the world I knew only of consisted whatever I saw through books and pc monitors. I saw things but never understood them." Issac started to say.

"What changed your mind?" Kate asked.

"Three days ago. When you and Sven got me out of the Dim Sun base." Issac answered. "I realized I was being used and that no one cared. But here in the Ranger Union, people do care. Sven treated me like a brother. You and Keith were good friends to me, like back in school. Even after the professor yelled at me for the password, he left me alone. Everyone was smiling. And I came to my senses…"

"That took courage, Issac. This could save Almia!" Hastings told him. "You say the password is Melody?"

"It is. I used the name of my younger sister." Issac said. "I wonder if she's alright…"

Professor Hastings didn't waste a second, like usual. He was already on his way down to the research team to tell them the password. Life at the Union was about to get even wilder!

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

About half an hour later, everyone was gathered into the conference room. The four top rangers, the Chairperson, Professor, Issac and researcher Nage. Once the meeting began, Nage pulled up data onto the underfoot monitor (for Kate, that never got old). The tower's picture came up, with data all over.

"I've seen this shape before…" Keith said, studying it.

"Same here." Kate agreed. "Wait a sec. Isn't that…?"

"That can't be…" Wendy gasped.

"I'll say it is!" Sven took notice.

"This is Altru Tower!" Erma said. "Altru tower is the Incredible Machine? Why…why it'll be finished tomorrow!"

The Professor studied the blueprints, all while pacing. He seemed to look over every detail with precision and focus.

"The object on top of the machine. It's probably the giant crystal." He said. "So that's what this is about…"

Hastings then left the room alongside Issac. Nage hurriedly followed right after them, as the blueprints on the floor disappeared.

"When the professor's in that state, he won't emerge for awhile." Erma told the remaining group. "In the meantime, focus on patrol."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Patrol work had been a slow day. Kate and Keith worked diligently as usual but found not many people or pokemon needed help that day. True, rangers had slow days on rare occasions but it was disappointing since they just healed from injuries. While Keith was handling something on top of Peril Cliffs, Kate got a call from Marcus.

"Hey Kate? I've got a question." Marcus said.

"Ask away." Kate glanced over at Keith who goofed and nearly fall off a ledge.

"Does Rhythmi like flowers at all?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah. Usually lilies, snapdragons, hibiscus…hold on…" Kate paused. "Why are you asking if Rhythmi likes flowers?"

"Ack! Um….just to er…brighten the operator desk!" Marcus nervously replied.

…..

"Think you can keep a secret?" He sighed.

"Of course." Kate responded.

"I'm planning to ask Rhythmi out sometime soon." Marcus confessed.

"Really?" Kate gasped. "That's great!"

"Pray to arceus she says yes. I'm not sure if I'm her type..." Marcus sheepishly said.

"She'll totally accept!" Kate assured him. "If you're feeling this way, then maybe she does too!"

"Maybe. I just feel alone on the whole 'romance' thing." Marcus told her. "But there isn't anyone else in the Union who's in my situation."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

At the same moment, all while climbing Peril Cliffs, Keith had been talking to Sven. It was a normal 'guys' conversation. Up until a point…

"So how's it working out with Lucky?" Sven questioned.

"You better not be referring as to 'romance' wise." Keith muttered.

"Oh but I am!" Sven snickered. "And do I assume you've figured out your feelings by now?"

"Whether I have or not is none of your business." Keith growled.

"I'll just take it as a yes. Relax, I won't say a word." Sven laughed. "Besides, I've got my own girl troubles to handle."

"I heard you ditched Wendy some days back." Keith said.

"Found a Dim Sun lead, followed it, forgot to tell her about it till the last second." Sven sweatdropped. "She's still mad."

"And what? You'll just make up for it by giving her flowers and a romantic date?" Keith joked.

"That's the plan."

…

"Whoa, you're going to ask Wendy out?" Keith asked, a bit surprised.

"I figure it's about time." Sven responded. "I've liked her for a long time. Why not do something about it?"

"Congrats for you then." Keith grabbed ahold of another mess of vines.

"And I think it's about time you made your move on Lucky." Sven suggested.

Keith nearly fell off the vines.

"Are you insane!" Keith snapped.

"Better make your move now, before some other guy does!" Sven told him. "I heard Kate got some action from a Dim Sun member back on your Blue Gem mission."

"I outta report that jerk for assault…" Keith grumbled, irritated at the memory.

"Well maybe you should report Murph too since he'll ask Kate out tonight." Sven told him.

"WHAT?" Keith exclaimed.

"Yeah he'll ask her to go to that Go-Rock concert or whatever as his date." Sven said. "Kate likes that band so I'm thinkin she'll say yes."

"No she won't! Murph and Kate are completely wrong for each other!" Keith objected. "He can't just as my girl out like that!"

"_Your_ girl?" Sven smirked.

Oops.

"Ahahaha! I knew it!" Sven laughed.

"Shut up!" Keith yelled at him, feeling his face going red.

"Relax dude, I was only kidding! Murph isn't going to ask Kate out at all." Sven told him.

"THEN WHY DID YOU SAY THAT?" Keith raged.

"I wanted to see your reaction." Sven chuckled. "And wow did that work!"

Keith rolled his eyes and continued up the cliff. There was a skitty, huddling on a small ledge. Perfect. Quest almost completed.

"Are you really going to keep all this to yourself?" Sven asked.

"All I want is to protect her from harm and keep her happy." Keith answered.

"You could do that as a couple." Sven pointed out.

"Yes but Kate has a right to love whoever she wants. Who am I to stand in her way?" Keith reached the skitty, coaxing it into his arms. "She deserves to be happy."

"What about you?" Sven questioned.

"What _about_ me?" Keith started the descend down the cliffs.

"Don't you deserve happiness too?" Sven clarified.

"Maybe. But I'm more concerned about Kate than myself." Keith responded.

A moment of silence. Getting down Peril cliffs was way easier than going up. Keith was already halfway down.

"You really love her, don't you?" Sven asked.

"Yeah." Keith sighed.

"Just think about it." Sven told him. "Though maybe you should do it quick before someone actually does ask her out! Heck I could use her as a backup if my plan with Wendy fails."

And the moment was gone.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!" Keith snapped.

Keith hung up on him. He jumped down the last of the cliffs and went over to Kate, who was patiently waiting.

"You did it!" She cheered, petting the skitty. "I see why that girl was so worried. It's so cute!"

"Mew!" The skitty leapt into Kate's arm and started purring.

The quest was accomplished and right after, Erma called. The rangers were to report for a meeting on the rooftop, under the Tree of Harmony. They raced all the way back to the base, ready to accomplish whatever challenge would lay ahead.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Romance isn't just developing between K & K now is it? Things are getting interesting!**

**Update's almost here!**

**By the way, a little question to think about inbetween chapters. Why haven't we seen much of Chia or Wave as of late?**


	49. We're Under Attack!

***hammers the scanner***

**WHY. WONT. YOU. WORK! **

***sees readers and drops hammer innocently***

**Hiya guys! What's going on? Just uh…drawing and stuff! Shall we move onto the next chapter of our action packed tale? Read, review and enjoy every little bit of it!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Professor Hastings, if you would please."

Everyone had gathered on top of the Union roof, under the Tree of Harmony for the meeting. Kate was starting to feel a lot of things. Excited for whatever was coming next, peaceful with the music & radiance of the gems…but….nervous…like there was something out there that was going to strike at any moment.

"Before I outline our operation, we need to know more about the tower." Hastings said. "Issac, please."

Issac stepped forth.

"The tower is 334 meters tall, just shy of 1,100 feet. From the top of the tower, you can see all the corners of the Almia region." Issac informed. "But it wasn't for observation or tourism. It had to be that tall to gain control over every pokemon in Almia. The Shadow Crystal from the Choma Ruins is set on top of the tower. A strong electrical pulse will generate power, giving control to all pokemon within an approximate 500 mile radius. The power generated will equal roughly eight million gigaremo units…at the very least."

He took a moment to catch his breath.

"Halfway up the tower is a centralized control room. It allowed individual pokemon to be controlled with unique signals for each. There are more than 300 commands than a miniremo has." Issac finished.

"These facts emerged from Issac sharing information with us." Hastings explained. "Combined from our own data, we have a clear picture of what we're up against. So the question is…what is their objective?"

The professor pulled out the burnt diary.

"The answer was in Brighton Hall's diary." Hastings opened to a page. "X month, xx day. My son, Blake Hall, having just turned 16, drove me out of the company. His parting words crushed me. 'I will eliminate anyone who stands in the way of world domination. Even my own father. The day for eternal darkness will soon be upon us'. My son has become the main character in his own nightmare, getting involved into deeper matters no human or pokemon should ever partake in. The Shadow Crystal's nightmare will soon become Almia's…."

Hastings closed the book.

"That's as far as we were able to decipher." He said.

"Blake Hall is going to take over the world?" Barlow was shocked.

"The Incredible Machine can supposedly control all the pokemon in Almia." Sven sweatdropped. "World domination doesn't seem too far out of reach!"

"This is terrifying…" Wendy whispered.

Kate knew. 'The day for eternal darkness'…she heard it before. Darkrai warned her in the nightmares since she was little. This had to be what it was talking about. Which meant…no way….no no no no NO….it couldn't be…

Out of nowhere, the entire place violently shook. Kate's head was temporarily pounded by a severe headache. The tremor stopped after a few seconds, as did the pain she felt.

"What was that?" Hastings exclaimed.

"They must've run the power to the Incredible Machine as a test. It was just a moment that they turned on to monitor its operation." Issac told him. "Though judging by the noise and tremor, the test was a failure. I assume it would be because they haven't made the final adjustments yet. Mainly because I was supposed to do them."

"Will their plan fail?" Wendy asked.

"Even if the adjustments aren't made, the tower will still run. Power will be reduced to about half but it'll work. The tower was built to accommodate such scenarios." Issac replied.

"So even at half power it can still wreak havoc across Almia." Hastings sighed. "All right everyone! Look sharp! Let me announce the plan!"

"Analysis of the blueprints make it clear that it is impossible to shut down the electrical circuits. That leaves the option about the Shadow Crystal itself. We have to do something about it. However, infiltrating the tower will be fraught with danger. So what can we do? Only one option. Mount an assault from the outside. Do you recall how the pendants made the dark shard transparent? That is what we will attempt to do with the Shadow Crystal. Ideally we'd need three gems…."

Kate sweatdropped at the comment. Keith seemed to be nervous about it too.

"With only two, though, we should severely weaken the tower by 70%." The professor went on.

"Alright Professor." Sven said. "But how do we get up there?"

"Are you suggesting we use my staraptor?" Wendy beamed.

"Precisely!" Hastings nodded. "You'll live up to your name as the 'Flying Ranger'! Two top rangers will ride a staraptor up to the tower, carrying a Red or Blue Gem. They are to circle the tower and get closer to the Shadow Crystal. But this mission is full of danger…."

Hastings stepped forward.

"I'd like to call on the best of our Top Rangers here. Two that we've grown to trust over time, the pride of our Union." He walked to Wendy and Sven.

"Now you're talkin." Sven tipped his hat. "I've ached for a danger mission like this!"

"You can count on me!" Wendy boldly told the group. "Flying's my specialty!"

"Kate and Keith, I ask you to remain here at base. There's no telling what might happen." Hastings instructed.

"The Vientown rangers will address the concerns of the citizens. But we'll stick to Pueltown in case of emergency." Barlow said.

"That's what I hoped to hear." Hastings nodded before turning back to the entire group. "As for the name of our operation, I chose the writer of that diary. Operation Brighton! Now let the Operation Brighton commence!"

"YES SIR!"

Everyone went their ways. Wendy and Sven got a gem each and were off towards the staraptors. Issac and Hastings were back in the labs, with Erma monitoring over the operators. Barlow was heading back to Pueltown, about to summon the other rangers there as well. That left Kate and Keith walking through the Union halls with their partner pokemon.

"I can't believe they didn't choose us." Keith sighed. "This bites…"

"I know. I was hoping we'd get to help at the very least…" Kate was disappointed too.

"_Me too."_ Chia agreed.

"There's not much action for us here at the Union." Keith said. "I mean what do we expect to happen? Someone blows a hole through the wall?"

KABOOOOOOM!

There was an explosion and a shake through the building. Murph was dashing up, panicking.

"Guys! B…B….Big trouble!" Murph exclaimed. "The ground doors were blown up by an explosion!"

"Maybe I spoke too soon…" Keith sweatdropped.

"I'm telling the others!" Murph continued running.

"Let's go check it out!" Kate decided.

"Right!" Keith was all for it.

The duo charged down the stairs to the first floor, waving away the dust that was starting to settle. The doors, indeed, were blasted and left a giant hole in the front entrance. And who was strutting in, seeming to be proud of himself?

"YOU!" Keith exclaimed, Wave growling fiercely beside him.

"Well look what we having here" Heath smirked. "I thought I kill you two."

"Can't get rid of us that easily!" Kate shot back at him.

"So I sees. How sad." Heath said. "Dat Yellow Gem you give me? I hide it away. Yes very careful like."

He pulled out a miniremo and typed in commands. An electrivire came through the hole and in between the Dim Sun Leader and rangers.

"We play game? You win, I leave. I win, I has more fun with Kate." Heath snickered.

Kate shuddered at the thought. She didn't like where the idea was going. Keith stepped forth, readying his styler.

"I'll not only win…but I'll make sure to rearrange your face!" Keith yelled, obviously furious at the oversized leader.

"Go on and try." Heath laughed. "You no win."

Keith leapt forward and started making the loops around the electric powerhouse. He dodged the electric attacks with ease. Kate noticed he was improving his usual style. But something seemed different. It was as if Keith was fighting for a reason. Possibly payback towards the torture?

"You can do it Keith!" Kate cheered him on.

Keith gave her his usual, confident grin and continued capturing. He was doing amazing for a boss fight! What skill! And the cheering seemed to be helping! In no time, the electrivire was captured and the miniremo exploded.

"That's how the Top Rangers do it!" Keith whoop'd.

KABOOOOOOM!

A round of explosions shook the building.

"You think you win?" Heath laughed. "Gwahahaha! Plan going well!"

"What did you do?" Kate questioned.

"Me? I only be decoying." Heath said. "For you, going upstairs be too late!"

"We'll see about that!" Keith shouted.

He started to go up the stairs, Kate right behind him. On the second floor they found debris all over the place. An even bigger hole was blasted through the wall. Cornered was Hastings, Murph and Issac. The one doing the cornering was Ice, aka creep of the century.

"Help!" Issac called. "They want to kidnap me!"

Kate and Keith rushed in front of the guys.

"We won't let you take Issac!" Keith yelled.

"Oh hey. I remember you." Ice blinked. "And how's it goin flat chest?"

"Back off." Kate bitterly told him.

"Ice!" Issac piped up. "I'm never coming back to Altru!"

"Come on Professor…" Ice sighed. "Weren't we once colleagues? Why I learned how to operate software because of you. Didn't I share my candy too?"

"You tricked me! You said it was for the good of pokemon and society!" Issac shouted. "I was lied to over and over!"

"I could care less about the pokemon." Ice shrugged. "But we are a peaceful organization."

….

"You blasted a hole through the ranger wall!" Kate objected.

"Yeah we're not buying that!" Keith agreed. "Especially from a jerk like you!"

"Not having much success are we?"

Through the hole entered Lavana. She flipped her hair and sauntered over.

"Hello make-up ruiner." Lavana gave Kate a bored expression.

"You don't look quite so clownish." Kate commented.

A vein bulged on the pink girl's head.

"Wait you know this hag?" Keith asked.

"YOU DID_ NOT_ JUST CALL ME HAG!" Lavana fumed, facing Keith (who stuck out his tongue). "You….you're that brat from the Fiorre Temple!"

"Lavana, handling things like a gentleman takes time." Ice told her.

_Gentleman_? Says the guy who force-kissed her!

"Then drop the gentleman act!" Lavana scoffed, snapping her fingers. "We're doin it my way now."

Two Dim Sun grunts appeared with a little girl. She looked familiar.

"Melody!" Issac exclaimed.

"Brother!" Melody cried. "Help!"

"How could you?" Issac questioned, worried.

"Hellllooooo? Evil!" Lavana rolled her eyes. "Anyways, we need our genius architect to make the final adjustments on the Incredible Machine."

"Let her go hag!" Keith ordered.

"IF YOU CALL ME HAG ONE MORE TIME…" Lavana looked like she was about to lose it.

"Can we stay on topic?" Ice reminded.

"Right. Now then…" Lavana pulled out a gun and aimed it at Melody's head. "Issac? Are you coming with us? It'd be a shame if your sister lost her head."

"Eeeek!" Melody shrieked.

"That's low!" Murph shouted.

"….ok…I'll go back." Issac muttered.

Everyone turned to face him.

"I can't let Melody get hurt." Issac said sadly.

Hastings groaned in response. This was a big loss for the home team after all. Issac walked over to Lavana and Melody.

"Our work here is done." Lavana put the gun away. "Let's go."

She and the grunts escorted Issac and Melody out the hole in the wall. They were gone. Now there was the awkwardness with Ice just standing there.

"…..was I even needed for this?" He blinked. "Say flat-chest, how about you and me blow this place?"

"Haven't you blown up _enough_?" Kate sarcastically fired back.

"Chill out." Ice hair-flipped. "I thought you'd be desperate for a date."

"Not as desperate as _you_, low-life." Keith mumbled under his breath, sounding irritated.

KABOOOOOOOOOM!

Another series of explosions. They came from the third floor of the base. In the split second that the rangers were distracted, Ice had pulled out a miniremo and summoned a garchomp. Kate was torn between destroying the evil idiot or checking on what was going on upstairs.

"You go upstairs. Let me handle this guy." Keith said.

That solved the problem. Kate broke apart from the group and ran upstairs. The stairs to the rooftop was completely destroyed. But that wasn't important. What Kate found was Erma and all the operators surrounded by a couple dozen of bidoof. Leading them was….the green haired guy from Altru? Wow he sure was creepy up close.

"Who the heck are you?" Rhythmi squeaked.

A bidoof growled at her, making the operator jumped a little. Marcus cautiously stood by her, ready to intervene.

"What is the meaning of this?" Erma shouted.

"Eheheheh….what is the meaning of this? Don't you mean 'I demand an answer'?" The creepy man snickered. "I'm Wheeler! Blake Hall's favorite! And I'm here to dispose of you all!"

"With bidoof? I don't think so." Kate said.

Wheeler turned to her. He typed in the miniremo.

"Why don't you play with my little friends, ranger?" Wheeler made all the bidoof swarm Kate. "Go my minions! GOOOOOO!"

The mass of bidoof ran towards Kate. Unfazed, she captured them all in a single loop. Easiest capture ever. She left a boss battle and potential vengeance with Ice for _this_? Well if Kate had known earlier….

"Yikes!" Wheeler sweatdropped.

"Mr. Wheeler?" A Dim Sun goon walked up to him. "We…uh…already reached objective. We can go now."

"Oh. Right!" Wheeler and the grunt ran past the debis and up the rooftop stairs. "Till we meet again ranger!"

Kate laid back against the wall, relieved to see the operators and Erma unharmed. The guys from the previous floor came running up but relaxed at seeing everyone was safe.

"Ice was beaten. He escaped through the hole." Keith told Kate. "So who'd you face?"

"Blake Hall's creepy yes-man and his few dozen bidoofs." Kate replied.

"…you're kidding." Keith sweatdropped.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

***has destroyed scanner***

**We've finished up! You with this chapter and me with….heh….machinery. **

***sweatdrop***

**I promise you an update that is coming very soon! SOON SOON SOON SOON SOON!**


	50. Commence Operation Brighton!

**Hi reader! What is your gender? Aha I see. And what is your name? Mhm. This is my grandson. His name…er…what was it again?**

**Sorry, got a little pokemon classic on the brain! Oh professor Oak you…tsk tsk tsk. Here we are with the next chapter! Your three starter pokemon are read, review and enjoy!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

An entire attack on the Union base. Damage on all three levels along with Issac being kidnapped followed by aftermath paranoia. All of this in about half an hour. And Keith thought he'd miss out on the action. On the very slim positive side, he managed to get the justified revenge he wanted on the guy leaders of Dim Sun. Payback on Ice for that kiss he gave Kate back in Almia Castle. And payback on Heath for torturing him then trying to kill Kate. Keith wanted to chase them back to Altru Tower but was advised against it by Hastings. One more piece of good news was him and Kate getting promoted to ranger rank 9.

"The top priority for Operation Brighton has shifted! Before anything else, Issac and Melody must be rescued." Hastings announced.

"Professor!" Rhythmi called from her seat. "It's Sven! He's reporting in!"

"Problem! They threw up a barrier!" Sven told them. "Even worse, it's got three layers. Impossible to get through them. No way to get to the Shadow Crystal."

"Hmmm…" Hastings mulled it over. "They must have left it out of the plans for this reason. How to get through it….I can't think of a good approach."

"Do you forget we have two more top rangers?" Erma asked.

"That are totally ready to handle dangerous missions such as this?" Keith added, hinting.

"No, no…of course I wouldn't forget them." Hastings replied. "But they lack the experience."

"WHAT?" Both rangers exclaimed. "We have experience!"

"You both have come too close to death on numerous amounts of times." Hastings pointed out.

"Yeah but we always came out on top!" Kate argued. "I'm not afraid of what's in that tower and neither is Keith!"

"We're not rookies anymore!" Keith told him, fiercely determined. "Come on professor. You've got to give us a chance!"

Hastings looked them over.

"The determined glare in your eyes speaks enough. I'm convinced. You two may go on the mission." Hastings allowed. "Your jobs are as followed. #1, infiltrate the tower and rescue Issac & Melody. #2, locate and get back the Yellow Gem. #3, once at the halfway point, Keith will take a staraptor and fly the Yellow Gem to join up with Sven and Wendy."

"No problem!" Keith said.

"Kate, I entrust you with the key role in Operation Brighton." Hastings went on. "Make your way up the tower to disable the three barrier levels. Once complete, guide the rangers on staraptors towards the Shadow Crystal. It goes without saying that you'll be facing some boss fights along the way."

"You can count on me Professor!" Kate vowed.

"Everyone has a role to play. Be it the rangers in the sky, operators at their desks and even Murph with his cheerful attitude." Erma told them. "Everyone is supported by each other. Remember this and the operation cannot fail."

"Operation Brighton part 2, commence!" Hastings proclaimed.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

A quick fly on a staraptor brought them to the Altru Tower. Kate looked at the darkened sky, surrounded by a swirling mass of dark clouds. Eerie. But there was something else….a faint sense of darkness and great evil that was on top of the tower. Kate knew she had to climb up there and stop it.

"Hey! You in the ugly leotards! Open the doros!"

Kate and Keith ran up the steps to the front entrance. A bunch of secretaries were crowded around, looking super ticked. A Dim Sun Admin was blocking the door.

"Is this some sort of sick joke?"

"You can't fire us without cause or warning!"

"We demand an explanation!"

"We're not expendable!"

Kate felt a little bad. The secretaries had no idea what was really going on. Now they lost their jobs. Kinda sad. But the rangers plowed through the crowds and went up to the admin.

"Excuse us. But we're rangers with full clearance to enter this building." Kate said in a mockingly polite tone.

"Rangers with clearance to enter? Don't make me laugh." The admin scoffed, pulling out a miniremo.

He sic'd a yanmega onto Kate (while the secretaries freaked out). Tricky thing….kept buzzing around all over and shooting web gunk. Avoiding the sticky mess wasn't easy but Kate handled the capture well. Cue the kaboom of the miniremo and the release of the yanmega.

"Meddlesome rangers!" The admin fled into the building.

"Let's go!" Keith charged forth.

They entered through the doors. Altru's lobby was a lot more quiet, with only the sound of elevator music in the background. Of course it was because there weren't any secretaries or visitors. Kate and Keith started walking when they heard some grunting from the door. Speaking of grunts, there were two pushing heavy barricades on the door.

"Whew. That should do it!"

"Keep our law-abiding citizens. Or worse….annoying rangers."

They didn't seem to notice the two that had already came in.

"Ahem." Keith coughed.

"Oh hey." One casually waved, not rally paying attention.

…

"WHAT THE HELL!"

Kate was trying to hold back the laughter.

"How did you get in here?" One guy questioned.

"The door." Kate simply answered.

"We….we barricaded it! You….I….we….that…." The guy stammered.

"You just had to use the bathroom didn't you?" The other snapped. "Now look!"

They started arguing while Kate and Keith decided on leaving. But at the elevator, they were stopped. A girl grunt saw them coming and pushed a giant red button on the wall. Red lights flashed along with loud bells. A team of Dim Sun grunts and an admin surrounded the rangers and their pokemon. Dang it…they were prepared.

"Can someone explain to me how rangers could get this far?" The admin huffed.

"You're not getting away with anything!" Keith said.

"Pushy and primitive. I hate that in men." The admin recoiled. "Minions! Get them!"

"You have no sense of honor!" Kate yelled.

"We're villains." The admin rolled her eyes. "We do things _our_ way."

The Dim Sun team was closing in on Keith and Kate. Every step got them closer. What would they do? Truss em up? Or just kick them out?

"TARRRRRGEEEEETTTT…"

Huh?

"CLEEAAAARRR!"

Booooom!

At the front entrance, the doors and barricades were completely obliterated. In came the Vientown rangers! After a quick celebratory pose, Barlow, Crawford and Luana raced up to Keith and Kate. The Dim Sun team started to back up.

"We got called to help out!" Barlow said.

"We're glad you did!" Kate told him.

The group turned to face the grunts and admin, who sweatdropped and started to inch back. Keith got into formation with the others, intimidating them into the back wall. Even Chia and Wave were having fun with it. The expressions on the Dim Sun idiots faces were hilarious! Served them right!

"Let us handle these drags." Crawford smirked. "You two keep moving up!"

"Thanks guys!" Kate and Keith got into the elevator.

"Good luck!" Luana cheered as the doors closed.

The elevator was fancy. Deep purple carpet with the black logo. Silver-colored walls in a decent amount of space. Lighting was a bit off.

"Hey there's no buttons!" Kate noticed.

Keith found she was right. In place was a small microphone.

"So….how do we work this thing?" Keith asked, looking around for an answer.

_Bing Bing Bing Bing!_

_Welcome aboard! _

An automated voice rang from the speakers on the wall.

_Please enter your password. When you have entered your password, you will be taken to your work floor._

"Tch…it's always a password…" Keith mumbled.

"Issac must have a password for this thing. Let's try it out and see where this thing takes us." Kate suggested.

"Good idea." Keith went over to the microphone. "Let me try to get in an Issac state of mind…"

Keith tried to think over potential passwords for a moment. What did Issac like?

"Um…how about kincaid?" Keith asked.

"Doesn't seem right." Kate replied.

"Then….maybe….mushroom?" Keith tried. "Like his hair?"

"Doubt it." Kate shrugged.

"_Would you use spiky or red as your password?"_ Wave questioned.

"I'm just guessing here but how about banana?" Keith joked.

"Dude!" She laughed. "I really don't think that's it!"

"Good point." Redhead snickered. "Hey…I think it's Melody."

"That has to be it!" Kate agreed.

Keith repeated the password into the mic. The elevator dinged.

_Password accepted. Welcome Professor Issac. We will stop on the 9th floor._

The elevator jerked before moving up, a soft hum echoing.

"Huh. Issac must really love Melody." Keith said.

"I get where he's coming from. I love my little sister too. I'd be terrified if I saw a gun pointed at her head." Kate told him. "Haven't seen her for awhile…I wonder how she is…"

"Hey Kate? Can I ask a personal question?" Keith asked.

"What's up?" Kate looked over at him.

"Your little sister…um…she's not actually your sister. Megan's your cousin." Keith prayed he wasn't intruding on a heavy subject. "I'm curious…but why…er…why do you still refer to her as your sibling? And to your uncle and aunt as parents?"

"Well…" Kate leaned against the wall. "I was raised by them my whole life and they always felt like parents to me. And Megan's been more of a sister than a cousin. Maybe they're not my birth-family but they're still family. And I love them."

Keith was touched. He really didn't know much about family since it was just him and his mom in Fortree. But Kate was close to her family, even if they weren't her real parents or siblings. She cared about them deeply no matter what. What a girl.

_Zzzzt..._

The elevator shook before suddenly halting, nearly throwing Keith off his feet. Lights stopped working; power had to have gone out.

"You ok?" Keith asked.

"Fine!" Kate answered. "Wave and Chia seem good too!"

"Hey! Are you alright in there? I'm here to rescue you! Hold on!"

A voice had called out to them from above the elevator car. Keith didn't recognize. Maybe an area ranger? Someone was lowering a rope ladder and climbing down. But when the lights turned on, Keith found himself facing a Dim Sun admin.

"Ha! I lied!" The admin chuckled. "End of the road for you two!"

He whipped out a miniremo. The familiar sound of clicking keys brought forth a duskclops. Kate already was on it, swinging the styler around. Not much space to work within the elevator but somehow, she made things go her way. Another miniremo was destroyed and pokemon set free.

"PLEASE don't hit me!" The admin wimpily cried.

"Then how about letting us get out of here?" Keith walked over to the ladder.

"Do it! Go! Just don't hurt me!" The admin whimpered.

The rangers used the rope ladder and managed to escape out of the elevator. They found themselves in the elevator shaft. Rusty, cold, sounds of machines clinking around….kind of what Keith imagined it to be. Only the smell of oil made him gag. Ladders connected floor to floor, allowing him and Kate access to continue going up. But every step of the way was crawling with Dim Sun grunts. Who knew there'd be so many in that area of the building? They faced off against gabites, gengars, glalie and golbat (strange how they all started with g). The rangers took turns taking them all on.

"_Nice discharge, Chia!"_ Wave cheered while Kate was handling a mamoswine.

"You seem upbeat about the capture." Keith noticed. "And where have you been lately? You've been disappearing a lot more often."

"_Spending some time with my mate."_ Wave smirked.

"Mate huh? Congrats! What kind of buizel?" Kate asked, feeling a bit proud that his pokemon got himself a girl.

"_She's….heh….not a buizel."_ Wave sweatdropped.

"Who is she?" Keith blinked.

Wave looked over at Chia, who was launching another electric attack. It took Keith about 15 seconds to figure it out.

"What!" He choked on air. "You and Chia?"

Thank goodness neither of the girls could hear. Way too busy with that mamoswine. Though Kate would probably find out soon enough.

"_Yep. She's cheerful, outgoing, energetic…great to be with_." Wave was watching Chia with deep interest. _"Er…are you ok with this? Or should I have let you sit down first before breaking the news?"_

"Hey I'm all fine with you having Chia as a mate!" Keith told him. "But since when did you even like her?"

"_I've always liked her. Just didn't say anything till recently."_ Wave shrugged. _"While you and Kate were healing from injuries and bonding, I did a little bonding of my own with Chia."_

"So while you heckled me about my love life, you were having your romance problems of your own?" Keith hissed.

"_Hey at least__ I__ was planning on telling __my__ girl."_ Wave arrogantly fired back.

Keith was about to say something else when he heard a small explosion. The mamoswine went away, as did the Dim Sun admin that controlled it.

"We can go." Kate said. "But the ladder above us is broken. Either torn off or just rusted off."

Redheaded ranger looked up to see she was right. There was the top half of the ladder. Dim Sun could've tampered with it. Most likely the ladder had rusted too much and fell apart. Would've been risky to climb it even if it were whole.

"_Over here!"_ Wave ran over to the vent in the wall.

"Nice work Wave!" Keith joined him, Kate and Chia not far behind. "We can climb through the vents and work our way through Altru!"

"Great idea you two!" Kate complimented.

She tore the vent, allowing them all to climb through. Walking through the vents was chilly but it helped them get through the building. Though Keith wasn't even sure where they were. Hopefully, close to the Yellow Gem and/or Issac. He and Kate had been walking for a little while when…

Rummmbbbblllleeee

"Did you hear that?" Kate asked, cautiously.

"Yeah…" Keith looked around warily.

RIIIIIIPPPPP!

"Waaaaaahhhhhhh!"

Next thing he knew, the floor gave way and he fell. Upon landing, Keith groaned at slamming into something metallic. Kate landed not too far off, along with the pokemon.

"You ok?" Keith asked her.

"Fine!" Kate answered. "I think the vent couldn't withstand either of us. Where are we?"

"Looks like some sort of trash room." Keith told her. "Ugh…let's get out of here. It smells fierce…"

He helped Kate up and they slid down the gigantic pile of trash. Most of it was wood or metal type things. But still…the smell was really bad. It was a relief to get out of there. But in the hallway were grunts. Keith grabbed Kate and they dashed to a corner, looking at the scene from where they hid.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**So what is the scene they're watching? You all know but you'll still have to wait for the next update! Don't worry! It's close by! See…I think there's one rustling in the tal…wait that's a pidgey….oh well. Keep an eye out!**


	51. Changes, Rescues and Knock Off

**Totally psyched for writing these chapters! Love how Keith and Kate handle the mission and adversities (take that word-of-the-day calendar!). Shall we continue on with Operation Brighton?  
"Read Review and Enjoy! A message brought to you by Dim Sun"**

…**.wait a sec. HEY, WHAT DIM SUN IDIOT PUT THAT THERE!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Hey! I'm getting word that rangers infiltrated the building!"

News spreads fast. Kate kept listening in, steadily watching what was happening from around the corner. There were several grunts hanging out by a strange gate of sorts.

"Yellow Gem's in storage back there. No way they'll make it past the gate." A girl grunt said.

"Even if the gate was torn down, two of our guys are guarding the door. They have minoremos ready with strong pokemon available to summon." A guy grunt told the group. "They're never going to get the gem back."

"Good thing we didn't go with the other plan. Where we have four miniremos be keys?" Another guy piped up.

"Oh now_ that_ was a terrible idea." Another girl agreed. "What is this? Some sort of video game?"

"Back to work everyone!" The admin ordered. "Remember, see a ranger? Tie them up! Then take them to Ice and report."

"Got it." The grunts said in unison.

They all left the gate, off to separate rooms. Kate backed up, facing Keith.

"Oh-kay….so we know where the Gem is. But don't know how to get past that gate." Kate said. "We'll have to capture some pokemon to help us."

"Problem." Kate aimed her styler at the gate. "That gate's not coming down with an area move We'll have to get rid of it ourselves."

"Damn…" Keith muttered. "We have to figure out _something_. Can't just back out of the mission now!"

Kate tried to think. She peered over at the gate again. There didn't seem to be any doors or weakspots. Very strong wall indeed. Hey wait…there was something. A little flap that looked like a door for pokemon. Dim Sun must've installed that for their grunts inside the storage room. But Kate was starting to get an idea.

"I think I got it." She said.

"Really? What?" Keith asked.

"Er…it's kinda…" Kate nervously stumbled.

"Yeah…?" Keith sweatdropped. "Go on…"

There was no other way to really do it. Kate leapt straight into him, hugging Keith tightly.

_Poof!_

In her arms was the extremely shocked Keith, Pikachu form.

"What the heck was that for!" Keith snapped.

"Sorry but I had to hug you to transfer body heat. Then you'd transform into a Pikachu again." Kate answered.

"And how does _this _help us?" Keith questioned, irritated.

Kate pointed to the pokemon door in the wall.

"Alright." Redhead sighed. "I get it. Be back in a sec."

Keith ran off towards the door. He went through the flap, disappearing into the wall. Kate hoped that he wouldn't cool down too quickly. She gathered up his clothes and styler.

"_You know, you could've sent me and Wave in there."_ Chia said.

"Really? Whoops…" Kate sweatdropped.

Too late now. With any luck, Keith wouldn't have thought of that. But Kate did hear some yelps and then a slam or two. It was another moment before the gate opened right up. Kate ran over to see Keith standing over two unconscious grunts.

"Nice work!" Kate cheered.

"Nothing to it." Keith smugly said.

_Poof!_

Kate faced the other way, face turning bright red.

"Here…here's….y…your clothes…" She stammered, holding his ranger uniform out.

"Thanks." Keith mumbled, grabbing them.

Kate waited a minute before turning back around. Keith was back in his regular old self again.

"I'm really sorry for…um…" Kate tried to apologize.

"Don't worry about it." He grinned. "You were smart to find a way in. Now we can get that gem!"

They opened the door and stepped into another room. In the center was the Yellow Gem, kept inside an electric barrier. As Kate wondered how to break it, two researchers ran up to them.

"Rangers! You have to help Professor Issac!" The shaggy haired one frantically said.

"His sister Melody is held hostage while he makes the final adjustments to the machine." The glasses researcher explained. "They're threatening harm on her if Issac doesn't comply."

"Where is he?" Keith asked.

"10th floor. Just upstairs." The shaggy haired guy responded while walking towards a control panel. "It's guarded by an electric gate but I'll disengage it."

"Here." The glasses guy entered some digits into the machine and gave Kate the Yellow Gem (she heard a buzzing sound emanate from it). "Better you have it than Dim Sun. Geez…I was so blinded by my work…I didn't see what Altru was becoming…"

"Everyone gets misguided at times." Kate reassured. "The important thing is that you both stop working for Dim Sun."

"You guys seem way too smart for this place anyways." Keith added.

"I already got an offer to Silph co….." The glasses guy shyly said. "And my colleague's got one from Game Freak in Unova."

"Take it. Take it and go." Keith advised.

"You'll find it way better than Dim Sun." Kate agreed.

"Thank you…" The two researchers bowed in respect.

The two rangers dashed out the door, down the hallway and up the stairs. But as soon as they reached the top, the room went black!

"I can't see a thing!" Kate exclaimed.

"Another power outage?" Keith said.

Lights went back on. A team of Dim Sun grunts greeted them, with miniremos set in place.

"Ambush!" They cried out.

"Welcome to our trap, rangers!" One grunt called out.

They clicked and clacked the keys, bringing a few spinerak. Splitting the work in half, both rangers managed to capture them. Sticky business, but still worked like a charm. With their miniremos exploded, the team of Dim Sun ambushers fled the scene.

"Wimps." Keith chuckled.

Both pushed onwards, exploring each room on the floor for Issac. First room was a generator that held an electebuzz (Kate set it free). Another had scisor. One room contained a Dim Sun grunt that fell asleep. It was a little bit before they came to a doordeep within the level.

"What are you doing? Hey!"

"That's Issac's voice!" Keith pounded the door. "Issac! Kate and I are here!"

"Keith! Kate! Help! Waaaaah!" Issac cried.

"Issac!" A gruff voice sounded. "Don't you care about your little Melody? Finish the adjustments and software updates this instant!"

Keith grabbed the doorknob, only to find it stuck. Those Dim Sun creeps had to have locked the door. Kate joined him as he slammed up against the door. But nothing. Five or six attempts to break down the door and nothing worked.

"No good…" Keith panted. "Won't open."

"I don't think a target clear's gonna cut it either." Kate said. "What do we do?"

_Ring! Ring!_

"Voicemail! Barlow here." Barlow! "We've arrested the grunts on the ground floor. About to head back into Pueltown. Gimme a shout if you need anything."

"Wait! We do!" Kate stopped the Vientown leader from ending the call.

"Didn't expect it to be that quick." Barlow seemed surprised.

"We need to borrow your uh….what was it…." Keith mulled over the words. "Oh! Target clear!"

"On my way. What floor?" Barlow asked.

"10th." Kate answered.

"Be there in a moment." Barlow hung up.

"We're in business!" Keith cheered, starting to pace the floors excited and impatiently.

"Knowing Barlow, he'll be here in 5…" Kate smiled. "4…3…2 and…."

"Kate! Keith!"

Barlow was heard coming up the stairs and coming over to them.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" He said.

"Wait? Hardly!" Kate laughed.

"This the door?" Barlow looked it over. "Hmmmm….that is quite a door. Altru does things right."

"Can you break it?" Keith asked.

"Naturally." Barlow started to back up several feet. "TARGET CLEAR!"

He charged into the door. But…failed. The door remained intact.

"If this door were the enemy, I'd shake its hand." Barlow said. "You two. Help me out."

The three rangers backed up twice the distance Barlow had done before. A quick ranger pose and Kate was feeling worked up! She was totally ready. Keith seemed pumped as well.

"TARGET….GWOAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Their combined power slammed into the door, knocking it straight off the hinges and bursting out of its place. It shattered into pieces upon hitting the other side of the room. All three rangers ran right inside; Kate and Keith up to Issac, Melody and the Dim Sun grunts.

"Freeze goons!" Keith shouted.

"Guys! Help!" Issac called from the computer.

"Rangers!" The admin yelled. "We'll bill the Union for breaking that door!"

"Hey your leaders blasted the walls off the Union!" Kate argued.

"Really? How come I'm the last to know this?" The admin blinked. "Gah nevermind. You're too late! And by a single minute! Issac's finished with the adjustments to the Incredible Machine! Now that we don't need him, we can dispose of him and that twerpy girl too."

"Brother!" Melody sobbed.

"Same for you too, party crashers!" The admin grabbed a miniremo. "It's the end for you!"

An alakazam came onto the scene, followed up with a Sceptile and Luxray. Keith and Kate partnered up and took em all on. Kate focused on the luxray, knowing its electric attacks well. She managed to avoid the crossfire from the others and skillfully got it. As Keith was still dealing with the alakazam, Kate went for the sceptile. It tossed out some bullet seeds and leaf blades, one of which created a tiny cut on her leg. But otherwise, nothing to it.

The Dim Sun goons started running for the door. Barlow stopped them just before they slipped out. While he held them against the wall, Melody jumped right into her brothers arms.

"Issac!" She cried. "I was so scared…"

"Melody…" Issac hugged her before turning to the others. "Kate…Keith…I….I finished that horrid program…"

"Save it. We don't care." Keith pushed it aside. "One of our main goals of the mission was to rescue you and Melody."

"You two are safe and that's all that really matters." Kate said. "We'll handle things from here on out."

"Let me make it up to you by going with." Issac came forward. "I know my way around this tower like the back of my hand. And you'll need to disable the special software on the barrier they put up. Something I know how to do."

"Then things are settled." Barlow broke apart from the group of Dim Sun. "I'd say he has every right to see thi…HEY YOU DIM SUN BUFFOONS! BACK AWAY FROM THE DOOR!...ahem….I'll escort Melody back to Pueltown for you. I'm sure these guys won't mind being dragged around before going to jail."

"Thank you Barlow." Issac said.

"Issac, Kate, Keith…the rest of Operation Brighton is in your hands!" Barlow told them.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Keith ran on ahead, with Kate and Issac not far behind. It was a good thing that Issac came. It helped open the stairway electrocution security system. Sure there were a few more battles with grunts but easy peasy lemon squeezy. He and Kate had a fun time destroying more mimiremo machines. In no time, they reached the halfway point. The breeze blew through his hair, cooling Keith down a bit. Despite the fact that above them was a scary looking tower with three barriers and someone trying to take over the world, the view from that point was spectacular.

"I'll update the professor." Keith flipped the styler open. "Voicemail! Keith reporting in!"

"Hastings here. I got word from Barlow. Excellent work, all of you!" Hastings said. "I'm having a staraptor sent to you now, Keith. Take the Yellow Gem and join Wendy and Sven, who are on standby overheard."

The call ended. Kate got out the Yellow Gem and have it to him. It felt…weird…but….strong and full of life and light…

"Here." Kate handed him something else. "For a little luck."

Keith looked to see it was her necklace. The sharpedo tooth she always wore. Not one day had she went without it.

"But…but this is your lucky charm." Keith gasped.

"I know. I figured you might need a little luck up there too." Kate told him, smiling. "Just don't do anything stupid up there, redhead."

Keith smirked.

"Provided you don't do anything idiotic down here, clutz." He chuckled, putting the necklace on.

"Hey I see the staraptor!" Issac spotted.

As the genius said, the bird pokemon flew over and landed next to Keith. He climbed right on, Wave right on his shoulder.

"What is this feeling…?" Keith felt something stir inside him. "It's like….like I'm excited beyond words!"

"Try thrilling beyond words!"

The doors to the tower opened, revealing Lavana, two Dim Sun girl admins and a Magmortar.

"Hit it!" Lavana pointed directly at Kate.

The magmortar was careening straight for her. Keith's eyes widened with fear.

"WATCH OUT!"

Without even thinking, he directed rammed the staraptor into Kate, pushing her out of harm's way. A millisecond later, Keith felt the full extent of the punch and was thrown off the tower.

"KEITH!"

He flew through the air at tremendous speed. Man did that hurt…and landing wasn't going to be pretty. But he saved her…Kate was sparred. Thank arceus. She'd never be able to withstand the pain or crash landing. Kate could have been severely injured. Maybe even dead. But Keith managed to put her out of harm's way. Even if it meant taking on the punishment himself…

Keith hurtled into the ground, tumbling. He felt his bones crack and skin scrape up against sharp objects. Ow ow OW did it hurt!…so…much…pain! Keith could hardly stand it! He had done some intense stuff before but this was nothing like what he experienced! It felt like an eternity before he started to slow down. As he did…something felt different. Like his entire being was growing cold while his essence was starting to feel far away….

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate felt a torrent of emotions tug at her. A heavy one for Keith. Aw no…no no no no no…would he be ok? He was just knocked off the roof for crying out loud! Kate would never live with herself if Keith was hurt…or….or….no…he couldn't go down that easy. This was Keith! He was way too strong and stubborn to be defeated. Still…

And there was something else affecting her. The same thing she felt when first entering Altru had grown increasingly strong. Every cell in her body was screaming. Darkness lurked at the top of that tower and something terrible was about to happen. Blake…he had no idea what was going on. Clueless to the evil that lie waiting to spring. Kate was warned about that day, where darkness would return. And it would. Right on Altru's birthday, which wasn't too long.

"The Yellow Gem is ours again." Lavana clutched the gem.

Kate was enraged at the pink haired jerk. She would've clobbered her except…

Rummmmbbbblllleeeeeee

A small shake vibrated throughout the tower. It stopped as sudden as it started.

"Whoa they turned the machine on already? Oh yeah they designed this thing to creep up to 100%." Lavana mumbled. "Once it's midnight, everything will be set and complete."

She started to go back to the elevator.

"HEY! Why don't you fight me, hag!" Kate challenged.

"ARE YOU #%$^&* KIDDING ME!" Lavana screamed. "Girls handle this pest while I go back to the control room!"

"Thank you for trusting us Lady Lavana." The Crimson unit thanked in a sickening sweet voice.

Kiss-ups. Furious Lavana and her magmortar went back in while the admins pulled out miniremos. They brought a gardevior and scisor. Kate brought a capture and befriended the pokemon. No real hassle (other than gardevior's constant teleporting). Miniremos blew up into the girls faces as the pokemon went free.

"I….I think we'll disband for now…" One of the girls said

"Rangers are kinda cool…" The other was quiet. "Hey…you're Kate right?"

"Yeah." Kate replied.

"You think it's possible to follow your dreams and make them come true?" The girl asked.

"I did that and became one of the best rangers in the world. If you're willing to go the extra mile, then do what makes you happy. Go for your dreams." Kate encouraged.

"Then I'm quitting Dim Sun. I want to design makeup." The girl sniffled.

"How about I join you? We can design products together. Just like when we were kids." The second suggested.

"I'd…I'd like that."

The two ex-admins left the rooftop. It felt a little good to inspire two more talents for the world. Kate had a feeling they'd do fine.

_Ring! Ring!_

"Voicemail!" It was Hastings. "What is going on over there?"

"It's Keith! He was blown off the roof!" Kate told him.

"We'll dispatch rangers to search for him. Kate, you have to keep going up that tower!" Hastings ordered.

"Will do." Kate ended the call.

Time to focus back on the mission. Face the challenges that were ahead.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Operation Brighton's gotten 'thrilling beyond words' alright! Kate's ready to tackle the big foes ahead while Keith's been knocked off the roof! What will happen to the two rangers? Can they make it to the top of the tower in time?**

**Find out in the next issue (aka update) of Breaking the Spell! Releasing soon!**


	52. Getting Closer

**Authors note: Kept mistakening Keith's last name. It's been Gardner, not Gardener. I'll see if I can fix the mistakes in previous chapters if I find them.**

**But hey guys! Grab a chair and enjoy the action! Read all about it! Give it a review! We've got some adventures as Kate takes on Dim Sun. Plus a little surprise I have for Keith. Hope you love it!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_Drifting…it felt like he was drifting…._

_Everything seemed so distant, far away like a dream from another reality. There was cold…and warmth. Nothing yet something. Consiousness but also…a trance-like state. Keith couldn't tell how long he had been floating among the tranquility. But he hadn't been aware of anything till he felt a presence._

"_Stable. He'll be up and at em in a little while."_

"_Took some hard hits. Hard to believe he's lasted so long."_

"_He's tough. But his will is stubborn and hasn't backed down yet."_

_Keith groaned. Where were those voices coming from?_

"_I think he's waking up…"_

_Redhead, very slowly, opened his eyes. It was extremely bright. Impossible to see at first. Two silhouettes were bending over him. Keith started to sit up, adjusting to the light which had been pure white with mist all around the air. What was this place? Keith never saw anything like it._

"_What….happened…?" Keith mumbled, rubbing his head trying to remember._

"_You were knocked off Altru tower in your latest mission." A voice answered._

_Altru….that's right! He was about to take the Yellow Gem up into the air on a staraptor. But then Lavana came and ordered the magmotar to hit…._

"_KATE! Kate where…" Keith whirled around. "…are….you…."_

_He faced two other people dressed in white, both his age. One had dark hair that shined blue in the light. His face and eyes seemed a little familiar. But it was the girl who caught and held Keith's attention. Her long, evenly brown hair that fell down her shoulders…the perfect skin…that face with the eyes…could it be? Was it really…?_

"_No…" Keith stopped himself. "You're not Kate…"_

_The girl blinked._

"_How do you know?" She asked._

"_Her eyes are a beautiful sky blue. Yours have green mixed in them." Keith answered. "And I can feel it. Something's different…"_

_This girl otherwise looked exactly like Kate. Many of the details were perfectly similar. As if they were…._

"_Josie?" Keith gasped, realizing._

"_So you figured it out." She smiled._

"_Then…" Keith turned to the boy. "You must be…"_

"_Indigo." The boy nodded. "It's nice to finally meet you, Keith Gardner."_

_Indigo and Josie…Kate's deceased triplet brother and sister…._

"_But…but how? Where? You're…I….this…ah…" Keith stammered, taken aback. "Wait…does that mean I'm dead?"_

"_No but you gave it your best shot." Josie giggled._

"_This is more of the halfway point, between life and death. When you crashed into the ground, your spirit started to leave your body." Indigo explained. "We took you aside to assess damage and to help you. As we speak, our energy is pouring into your body and slowly recovering it. Within a little bit, you'll be back on your feet and ready for the mission again."_

"_You're helping me? But why?" Keith asked._

"_You have your role as guardian to fulfill." Indigo replied._

"_Kate still needs you so she can unlock her light powers. Plus she'll need your protection and assistance once you two fight the darkness." Josie went into detail. "If you don't come back to save her, she'll die."_

"_WHAT?" Keith exclaimed._

"_Calm down she's fine right now!" Josie reassured. "She's taking on the Dim Sun leaders at the moment. But she'll need you soon enough."_

"_I promise I'll be there for her. I'll give my life to make sure she's safe." Keith vowed._

"_Seeing as how you've already done that, we know you'll uphold that promise." Indigo smirked. "We also know that you love her."_

"…_.yeah." Keith sighed. "I do."_

"_That's the other reason we're helping you." Josie said. _

"_Huh?" Keith blinked._

"_I've been a guardian angel for Kate as far back as I could remember. When Indigo was killed by darkrai, he joined me in looking out for our sister. We wanted to make sure she was alright, growing up without us or our parents." Josie explained. "But…then you came…"_

"_You were twice the guardian angel than we were. Keith…." Indigo looked straight into him with seriousness. "You made her laugh and kept her happy. She blossomed, thanks to you. Protecting her wasn't just taking the hit or saving her all those times. You did so much more than that."_

_Keith remembered something._

'_You might not understand this now…but protecting someone isn't just keeping them from danger.'_

_Ms. April said that to him what felt like a long time ago. Back then, Keith had no idea what she was talking about. Now….he did. He understood it completely._

"_Thanks Keith." Josie softly said._

_The redhead gave a small grin and a nod, trying to comprehend it all._

"_Now that we know you're doing a great job looking after Kate, Josie and I don't have to be guardian angels for her anymore." Indigo told him._

"_Wait! I didn't mean to take your job!" Keith frantically apologized._

"_Don't worry! We'll still watch over you from time to time!" Josie laughed._

"_Kate is our sister. Gotta make sure you don't screw up with her." Indigo half-joked._

"_I won't." Keith saluted. "Ranger's promise."_

_A wind started to pick up. Keith felt it tugging at him, pulling him back._

"_Looks like it's time to go." Josie said._

"_Thanks for everything you guys. It's an honor to meet Kate's siblings. Even if it is just one time." Keith told them._

"_And it was amazing to meet you too." Indigo replied._

"_If anyone was to be chosen as Kate's guardian, we're glad it's you." Josie said to him._

_Keith could feel the wind getting stronger by the second and the light getting brighter. He was levitated in the air by a powerful force._

"_Good luck!"_

"_Au revior!"_

_The light was blinding Keith's eyes. He felt himself hurling down at stupendous speeds. Then came the sudden landing and everything was black._

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"…_.Keith? Keith? Please wake up…come on buddy wake up…"_

Warmth flowed through his body again. Keith could feel himself in his own skin again, his head no longer foggy. Another groan and he opened his eyes.

"_Keith!"_

Wave was standing over him, relieved. Keith sat up and scratched his partner pokemon's head. He inspected his body for bruises, scrapes and any sort of injuries. None. No damage whatsoever. Keith was completely healed up, as if the fly from the tower never hurt him.

"Sorry to make you worry, Wave." Keith apologized.

"_It's good to see you're ok."_ Wave rubbed up against his leg.

Keith looked to see he landed by Lookout Ridge. That was some ways away from the tower. But he could see it. The barriers were gone. Though the dark clouds only grew worse. Keith could feel that things were getting worse. Wait…there was a tiny opening in the clouds. A white spot that flickered for just a few moments. It was night. Naturally there wouldn't be specks like that. Keith smiled a little, knowing what it was.

"Josie…Indigo…" Keith thought. "Thanks. I'm ready to fight whatever's coming my way."

There was a staraptor nearby. Different than the one from before (had to have flown off) but in a pinch, it would do.

"Wave! Let's go!" Keith sprang up. "We've got a world to save!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUER. THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER_

_THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE'S POWER IS CURRENTLY LEVEL 1. POWER NEEDED FOR LEVEL 2 is….10%. I REPEAT, 10%_

_THERE ARE NO AB…NONORAMAMAMAMAMA….ABNORMALTIES_

"Sounds like this thing has abnormalities galore." Kate sweatdropped.

Two barriers disabled. Heath and Lavana were jokes. Sure their pokemon were tough but Kate was tougher! And despite adding a security system to their barriers, Issac laughed at how simple it really was. Now all that was left was the final barrier, the blue one on top of the tower. Kate assumed Ice was the last. _Finally_. Some sweet revenge on that pervert.

She entered the room with Issac. Indeed, Ice was there. He stood in front of the circuit orb with a gallade. Though the wires connecting the orb seemed to pulse stronger than the other two. Maybe the first barrier was meant to be that way.

"Hey there flat chest. Come back for more of me?" Ice smirked deviously. "And hello to my computer teacher. Welcome to Altru Tower, where when the dates chances, Almia will enter a new era."

"We'll make sure that it won't happen!" Kate said.

"Why don't we just stay here and count the second?" Ice suggested. "I was never a fighter anyways. Always a pacifist."

I don't care what religion you are!" Kate told him.

"Pacifist means you don't like to fight." Issac whispered.

"Oh. Got it." Kate nodded. "Besides, wasn't it you who blasted a hole through the wall of the Union?"

The blue leader flipped his hair dramatically.

"How about this? We'll stop this whole fighting deal and I'll give you a fourth spot as a leader to Dim Sun. Blake might not mind so much." Ice offered. "Besides, you can be my girlfriend."

"HELL NO!" Kate yelled.

A violent shaking interrupted the conversation.

_THIS IS ALTRU CORE COM….PUTER! THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER!_

_INCREDIBLE MACHINE IS CURRENTLY LEVEL 1. POWER NEEDED FOR LEVEL 2 IS…..LI….LITTLE. I REPEAT, LITTLE._

_POWER IS RISING STEDADADADADADA….THERE NO MAMAMAMAMAMA…._

"No abnormalities…right." Ice sighed. "But Issac, you are almost out of time. And even if flat-chest gets by me, I rewrote the coding for the orb. Did it as soon as I heard you two were up here."

"I can crack any codes." Issac proudly told him.

"Ice!"

Lavana and Heath rushed inside.

"We failing at order from boss!" Heath said.

"So I've noticed." Ice mumbled.

"I'm back from fixing my makeup. Had to get more myself since my Crimson unit's gone missing." Lavana slipped a lipstick tube into her skirt pocket.

"I'd go on about your amateur booty-trap programs but I think we can all agree that we should be taking down these two pests." Ice said to them. "Lend me your pokemon. We're going with a three pokemon assault!"

"Right!" Heath and Lavana summoned their pokemon.

The rhyperior and magmortar from before leapt onto the scene. Gallade came forth. Kate got the styler out and began capturing. Maybe one by one, these pokemon were a challenge. But together? Aw man it was tough! Their combined strengths and attacks made it difficult to wrap the styler even once. Rhyperior was tossing out boulders, Gallade swiped with its sword-arms and magmortar focused on the flamethrower. Kate couldn't let herself get beat though. While occasionally looping the others, she decided to make the rhyperior her first focus so she could get rid of its unpredictable rock tosses. Chia came in handy a multitude of times, paralyzing the others so Kate could concentrate. When rhyperior was captured, Kate switched to the magmortar and its long-range fire attacks. With one less pokemon to worry about and previous experience with magmortar, Kate found it a lot easier to capture it. Two down, one to go. The gallade got swifter with much more room but Kate knew how to handle fast targets. It didn't take long before the last pokemon was captured.

"Our boss!" Heath shouted as the pokemon left. "He on top of here! Protecting him we must be doing!"

Heath raced out of the room while Lavana and Ice seemed too dazed to move.

"Show our face? To the boss? No way I'm humiliated!" Lavana cried and ran off.

"You spineless losers…" Ice growled. "That battle was only to whittle away the time. No way you can break the orb in time. Especially with that tricky passcode I enabled."

"Oh really? Think again."

Attention was turned to Issac, who was at the orb grinning. He had been trying to figure the code the entire time! Must've slipped over there mid-battle. Kate didn't even notice.

"No…you didn't…" Ice whispered.

"But I did." Issac chuckled. "I managed to crack your little code. Challenging, which felt particularly refreshing, but nothing I couldn't handle."

"You know what? Just take it!" Ice tossed the Yellow Gem to Kate. "Take it and go!"

"Chill out dude." Kate mocked.

"You could've had it all, Kate. Power, money, glory…everything. And we would've made a good team." Ice started to leaving in a hurry. "Chao, flat-chest!"

Kate rolled her eyes.

"Kate, we're all set! Target clear with an electric type!" Issac told her.

"Chia!" Kate nodded.

"No problem!" Chia leapt into the air.

She shot out gigajolts of electricity into the orb, shattering it to pieces. Power stopped running inside the cords and cables. Kate could hear the familiar zaps and buzzes of the barrier disappearing.

"Hit the deck!"

Issac pushed her to the ground as an explosion burst from the machine. Yikes that was close…

"Ice must've put a time delay on it." Issac said. "Didn't expect him to master programming that sophisticated. He chose the wrong path…like I did…"

"Hey. At least you realized it, Issac. And once this whole mess is over, I'll help you get back on the right path." Kate reassured him. "For now, we've gotta keep moving."

Both researcher and ranger started running. Kate's styler rang; she answered it while still continuing on.

"Hey Lucky!" Sven calling. "Barrier's final level's gone! Woo! We can get close to the Shadow Crystal!"

"Yeah!" Kate cheered.

"I'm a little worried about Keith…but I think he'll do alright. He's a top ranger. Just watch him make some dramatic entrance about it." Sven said.

"Yeah that sounds like him." Kate sweatdropped, internally worrying (Chia seemed concerned as well)

"Voicemail!" Hasting's came onto the call. "Sven and Wendy! Can you hear? Circle the tower and try to get close to the Shadow Crystal with your gems! Even just two will have an effect!"

"Roger!" Sven and Wendy responded.

Kate shut the call off and started to climb the stairs. A tremor shook, knocking the girl a few steps back. Issac clung to the railing.

_THIS IS AL…ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. THIS IS ALTRU CO-CORE COMPUTER._

_INCREDIBLE MACHINE HAS REACHED LEVEL 2. POWER NEEDED FOR LEVEL 3 IS…99% MORE. 98% MORE. 97%. 96%. 95%. 94%._

_THERE ARE NO UP DOWN CIRCLEPAD JUMP RIGHT RIGHT LEFT LEFT TWO ANALOG CONTROL BZZZZT! BWEEEEEE GZTGZTGZT ZZZZZZTTTTT!_

"We're at level 2! Once we're there, it takes almost no time to get to level 3!" Issac yelled over the shaking. "President Hall is close! Hurry!

He and Kate rushed up the stairs, trying to avoid falling back down from the shakes. It stopped once they hit the next floor up. There was a hallway that led to another pair of stairs. One room only which made Kate groan in pain. Something painful…..something painful was happening in that room. It jerked at her insides and made her feel sick. The headache returned but it felt more sad and dull'd than the previous ones. But as much as Kate wanted to see what was in that room, she and Issac had to keep going. They ran up the stairs again.

The next room was a circular and large. Stairs that led up to what Kate believed to be the top were blocked by an electric trap. Nearby was a giant computer in some sort of weird-built cell. Issac went over and typed some things in.

"I'll disarm it. Same trap as before." Issac said. "Ice must've installed this."

"Which means you'll have no issues?" Kate smiled.

"Of course!" Issac replied. "And…..done!"

The electric trap was gone. Perfectly fine to cross and go up the stairs. But just as Issac was about to leave, the cell activated an electric laser barrier of its own. Issac was trapped inside.

"No! Gah…I should've known Ice would use the time lapse trap again!" Issac groaned.

"You ok?" Kate asked.

"I'm fine…but Kate…" Issac looked up at her. "You have to go on. Sorry but from here on out, you'll have to face Blake Hall on your own. Thanks for believing in me, even when I was on the wrong side. But now you need to hurry. Not a second to waste with the computer almost at level 3."

"Alright." Kate nodded. "Chia! We better get going!"

"Good luck!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**This is Sky the wri…writer. Full awesomness is…..100%. Growing steadily. Next update is soooooo…sooooon! There are…are…there are no abmamama..no no no no no..rrrrrr…eeeeee…..bzzzzzt!**

**Gotcha! I always laugh at the computer in the game for some reason. So ridiculous that it goes haywire. What? Can't Dim Sun complete a computer that knows when its malfunctioning? Keep waiting for more updates!**


	53. Battle of Light & Darkness

**Oh yeah! I'm the pokemon fanfic MASTER!**

***prepares barrier for whoever says otherwise***

**This particular chapter was twice-thrice as long in word document than all my other chapters! But hey, it is an EPIC scene! This is it! The final fight scene! Kate's going up against big enemies that could plunge Almia into a permanent era of shadows!**

**(*) is in the story again! Remember, when you see it...search a video on youtube and play the song! And I ESPECIALLY recommend it for this chapter since it's important! For this chapter, the song is "Touch the Sky" from the movie 'Brave' (preformed by Julie Fowlis)**

**Go go read! Go go review! Go go enjoy! WOOOO!**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kate climbed the stairs up to the top, feeling another headache coming on. Only now…it wasn't just her head. Every inch of her body, inside and out, was aching. She could feel an extremely powerful force of darkness at work, with something dreadful lying in wait. It took a lot of Kate to stop from screaming at the pain. She was feeling a bit dizzy and overwhelmed at first, as though the entire world's negative energy was colliding straight into her. But Kate regained composure and tried to set aside the pain.

_THIS IS ALTRU CORE COMPUTER. ALTRUALTRUALTRU RUUUUUUU…_

_INCREDIBLE MACHINE'S POWER IS LEVEL 3! LEVEL 3! LEVELLEVELLEVELLEVELGZZZT 3!_

_THIS IS ALTRU THIS IS ALTRU ALTRUALMIA BZZZZT!_

The computer's voice system sounded creepy. But Kate didn't like the sound of the computer hitting level 3 more. This was bad. _Really _bad. Kate could sense that pokemon all over the region were being controlled and suffering terribly. Even the far reaches of Hia Valley and Haruba Desert were probably reached by the Incredible Machine. Kate stepped to the center of the tower.

"Ah. Welcome, Kate."

Blake Hall, with Wheeler and Heath, was standing on top of the steps that led to a platform, where a giant machine with an orb control system was. Inside it…Kate knew it was the Shadow Crystal. She could feel it's intense energy of twisted darkness. And behind it, lie another threat that was ready to come out.

"Well I'll be….I seem to be out of business cards. How careless of me." Blake kidded. "No matter. You remember me from some time ago? Issac had given you a tour around the front lobby."

"You make a habit to remember all your visitors?" Kate sarcastically asked.

"No but you are a…_special_ case. I've been told about you and heard so much from the papers." Blake replied. "A _close_ friend of mine had advised I _'take care'_ of you. Seems you handle adversity well."

Close friend…Kate had some suspicions.

"From the commotion I've been hearing, you named this operation after my father, Brighton. Clever." Blake clapped.

"Operation Brighton is going to be a success! I'll defeat you and make sure of it!" Kate proclaimed.

"Quite an honor to see someone such as yourself make it so far, to go through so much to see me." Blake seemed unaffected. But I expected that completely. You differ from the other rangers. I know why. I've been told everything about you, Kate. Defeat me? It'll be _me_ defeating _you_."

"Us holding you up did something good after all." Heath boasted.

"He's right. You arrived a smidgeon too late, Kate." Blake smirked. "The machine is already at level 3. We extend our full power across Almia, with every single pokemon under my control."

"What do you expect to do with that kind of power?" Kate questioned.

"My bidding of course!" Blake snickered. "I can have the excavate and mine. They could be used as cargo transports. Pokemon can be used for electricity or those with heat can push great volumes of water for water plants. Even in time of crisis, what if we have outsiders invading? We'll use pokemon for war as well!"

"So all of this…..it's just to use pokemon as _tools_? To work them like slaves? That's sick! You're insane!" Kate yelled.

She was furious. This man was going to put all those pokemon under harsh suffering just for those twisted reasons. Even worse, Blake was tapping into a power that could be capable of so much worse.

"Mr. Hall! Don't waste your words on this impudent child, sir!" Wheeler piped up. "Allow me to handle this!"

Wheeler brought out a miniremo. And he summoned…a…bidoof? Seriously? Just one, single bidoof. After a small sweatdrop, Kate looped once and set the pokemon free. Wheeler seemed stunned that she could do it.

"Eheheh? How odd." Wheeler said. "But no worries. I'll catch my breath and summon ano…"

"Wheeler! That's enough!" Blake pushed him to the side. "Kate has clearly surpassed the training days of school long ago."

"I see. You wish to toy with the child yourself!" Wheeler chuckled. "Ranger, your downfall is assured! No one can outsmart Mr. Hall! He…"

"Wheeler. Just shut up." Blake groaned then turned to Kate. "Kate, you do realize the full power of the machine don't you?"

"I do. But sometime tells me you don't." Kate growled.

"Very soon the date will change. A new dawn will be upon Almia and the world. Altru will celebrate it's new birth." Blake told her. "But why say it when I can show with example?"

He walked over to the orb of the machine.

"Perhaps I should summon a pokemon worthy of this occasion?" Blake mumbled. "One that will usher us into brand new age of darkness…"

The Altru president hit the keys. A whirring sound came from the machine, activating power from the Shadow Crystal. Kate moaned slightly, feeling its energy pulse out.

"Hmmm…not that pokemon. Not quite yet." Blake kept typing. "But here's one in the Haruba desert! I can control it, make it do anything I desire. Whether pokemon are in herds or alone, they're mine to do as I please. Gigaremo? Miniremo? No longer needed."

Once done, Blake faced Kate again.

"The development of this project hadn't even taken off until Kincaid successfully recruited the 'once in a century' genius." Blake explained. "Took a lot of time, money and effort to make it possible. Aha! Here comes the pokemon I summoned!"

A dusknoir descended from the sky, right in front of Blake. Clearly the poor pokemon was in agony. Kate desperately wanted to help it.

"Dusknoir? Meet Kate, the ranger who wants to put an end to our celebration." Blake started typing into the Incredible Machine again. "Give it a demonstration of our power!"

Dusknoir charged forth and Kate leapt, in capture mode already. Kate had heard rumors about this dark type pokemon. But she never guessed it was so crafty. Dusknoir set out little traps that could hurt the styler as well as summon shadow balls from its stomach-mouth. Kate kept ducking side to side to get good angles on capturing. A bit enduring but she knew she could handle it. The dusknoir took a little time to capture but Kate was successful.

"Quite impressive. You've surpassed your reputation." Blake said. "But don't you get it? The Incredible Machine lets me summon unlimited amounts of pokemon. You can't keep capturing like that forever. It's been over before it even started. I've already won. So long as I have my Incredible Machine, it's physically impossible for me to lose."

"Really now?" Kate pulled something from her pockets. "Now what about _this_!"

A yellow flash erupted from the Yellow Gem Kate showed off.

"What? It…it can't be! How could you have gotten the Yellow Gem?" Blake exclaimed.

"Easy. Ice gave it to me after yet another defeat." Kate responded confidently. "For an evil mastermind, you really don't know how to pick your leaders right."

Blake glared at Heath.

"Uh..we are meaning to reporting earlier but we fail at protect it…" Heath nervously said. "Not thinking you forgive us…but…sir, boss, you has pokemon already. We think things be ok…I am hoping…"

"You blundering oaf!" Blake cursed. "It was crucial to keep the three gems apart from each other! All we needed was to retain one of them. Just _one_! Then the Shadow Crystal couldn't be harmed! Now you expect the pokemon to cover for_ your_ mistakes? Your _repeated _mistakes? Idiot! I can't believe you had some nerve to come back up here, unlike the other two who have no doubt escaped this place."

"B…but boss…I staying here cause I worry…" Heath trembled, his voice getting quiet.

"Silence!" Blake ordered. "With all of Almia's pokemon under control, they're my servants now."

"NOT A CHANCE!"

Kate looked up to the sky, smiling to see two familiar sights. There was Wendy and Sven, up on the staraptors.

"Hall! We can hear your raving up here!" Sven shouted. "Kate! Get ready to put the finishing touches on Operation Brighton!"

"You got it!" Kate cheered.

"This is it folks!" Sven whoop'ed.

"We're goin in!" Wendy called.

"You think you rangers are so clever?" Blake hissed. "You leave me no choice but to summon _that_ pokemon. The time has come for it to be unleashed! Awaken my pokemon! Arise from the darkness!"

Blake typed something into the machine. Kate could see Wendy and Sven having trouble with their agitated staraptors. Whatever pokemon was being unleashed, Kate didn't have a good feeling about it. Another smack of dark energy from the machine rang in Kate's head. But something seemed off. The energy felt….more. There was a hint of difference this time.

"A pokemon that stores energy of darkness within its body…I'm sure you're acquainted with it already, Kate." Blake cackled, stepping before the ranger. "It is the most beloved of all my pokemon."

From behind Blake, a black hole of darkness formed. Something started to rise from the pool, taking form. Kate's eyes widened. She knew this pokemon all too well. It's normal red eyes were haunted with pain and torture; it was suffering more than any other pokemon that had been under control.

"Darkrai…" She gasped.

For years this pokemon haunted her dreams with warnings. It had killed her brother some years ago. Now it stood before Kate.

"Go on Darkrai. Invite this so-called hero into your world of darkness!" Blake commanded.

He walked back to the machined and typed in the commands. The whirring sounded, with Darkrai struggling through pain. It hovered some feet away from Kate before raising its arms. A crater of darkness came from under Kate's feet.

"Darkrai! Stop!" She yelled, trying to escape.

"_Kate!"_ Chia cried from the sidelines.

This felt like her dreams. Like she was being forcibly dragged down. There was nothing to grab on to climb out or hold on. Once she was in the middle of the circle, Kate was starting to sink into the darkness rapidly. Her arm reached up but her body, enclosed in darkness, lost all feeling. Everything was cold and made her heart freeze in fear. As if she was drowning…..

"KATE!"

Two seconds after the scream, her hand was grabbed just before it slipped into the darkness with her. Kate was pulled out by someone and held tight. They…they felt so warm…she knew this warmth anywhere.

"Keith!" Kate's eyes teared up a bit, hugging her hero. "Thank arceus you're alive!"

"What? You didn't expect me to make a come back?" Keith chuckled. "Of course I'm alive. You had me worried sick! I thought I lost you down there!"

"Sorry!" Kate sweatdropped. "Sven was right about you making an entrance. Guess I owe him….but what happened back there?"

"That attack sent me to Lookout Ridge! Nearly killed me! In fact I even saw…" Keith hesitated. "Nah, we'll save the stories for later. Sorry I got here late but let me make it up by giving a 200% effort!"

Keith landed the staraptor onto the tower. Kate got off.

"You might need this." She handed the Yellow Gem to him.

"Thank you kindly." Keith portentously. "Better go join Sven and Wendy. Oh and Kate?"

"Yeah?" She looked up into him.

His eyes seemed to hold a dozen different emotions and thoughts.

"Stay safe ok?" Keith requested.

He and the staraptor took off into the sky. In no time, Keith joined with Wendy and Sven, who were happy to see him. Kate went back up to Blake, who was scowling over the scene.

"^&#$% rangers…" He cursed. "You'll regret taking arms against me. Besides, I can sense it is time. Time for the hidden level…"

"Hidden level?" Kate questioned.

"I built one more level onto the Incredible Machine with a little help from my _friend_. This level goes beyond three. It's the forbidden level that taps into the deepest, darkest energies of the unknown." Blake smirked, standing over his machine. "Level Dark."

Oh no…

"Blake! Stop! You don't know what you're doing!" Kate yelled, terrified.

"Mr. Hall! Not that! You mustn't use that!" Wheeler insisted. "We don't know what will happen!"

"Boss!" Heath was starting to panic. "Even me…I no follow you anymore. No more…."

Blake wasn't listening. His mind was corrupted…too far gone. He tapped into the machine. A loud alarm rang through the air as the lights turned red and electric energies flowed faster into the machine. Kate screamed, feeling the severe pain strike her. This was a hundred times worse than ever before. Darkness, chaos, misery, fear…they pulsed from the Shadow Crystal to Kate. She felt something else…like a door was starting to unlock….

"This is it!" Blake evilily laughed. "Level Dark! Known only to the infinity that is darkness! Let the age of shadows begin!"

"You're out of your freaking mind!" Kate yelled.

Blake didn't seem to hear her.

"Darkrai, swat those flying pests above us. Make them pay." Blake cruelly ordered.

Darkrai was wobbling around, suffering as bad as Kate was. It's eyes were completely different; a swirl of dark red and black. Darkrai wasn't itself anymore, completely different. The pokemon was under a kind of darkness that not even itself could handle. Darkrai rose, creating a pool of darkness under Wheeler.

"Eh? HELP!"

Everyone turned to see Wheeler, fighting to stay afloat in the dark shadows.

"Darkrai! What are you doing?" Blake snapped. "The ranger is over there! Stop this at once!"

Blake's words fell on deaf ears. Darkrai quickly swallowed up Wheeler, making him disappear into the darkness. The orb that controlled the Incredible Machine glowed black, then shattered into millions of tiny glass fragments.

"Mr. Wheeler!" Heath was horrified at what unfolded. "No more! I no want this! I going home to country!"

He sped away, fleeing down the steps of Altru before Blake could stop him. Darkrai was starting to open another dark pool. This time, it was Blake who was getting sucked in.

"Darkrai! What is this? Let me go!" Blake commanded.

"_YOU'RE NOT THE ONE GIVING ORDERS ANYMORE."_

Kate shook. She heard that voice before. It was the one voice she wished she'd never hear again. The tower rooftop was enclosed in a dark void, cold and full of shadows; it cut off the tower from the world, putting it into a realm of its own. It was just like Kate's nightmares many years ago. Only worse…this time…it was real….

"No! Wait! I thought we were friends!" Blake cried out. "You helped me achieve so much and I gave a lot up for you!"

"_FOOLISH HUMAN. I ONLY NEEDED SOMEONE TO SERVE MY PURPOSE. AND YOU ARE NO LONGER NEEDED."_

Blake was plunged into the world of darkness. Kate was frozen in place, terrified of what was happening before her eyes.

"_GREETINGS KATE. LONG TIME NO SEE."_

"It can't be…" She whispered.

"_BUT IT IS. MY TIME FOR ETERNAL DARKNESS HAS COME."_

The Shadow Crystal glowed brighter, intense purple & black light. From it, something started to emerge. Kate stared in horror as a body surfaced out of the crystal and onto the tower. She gasped, a flood of memories from their last encounter coming back. All those nightmares…those cursed moments…it was too much! Kate was face to face with him once again….the demon of darkness….

"_NOW THAT I HAVE COME BACK, I CAN SHROUD THE WORLD IN SHADOWS! BUT FIRST, TO ELIMINATE ANYONE WHO STANDS IN MY WAY."_

The demon swiped its claws at Kate, who managed to duck to the side before impact. Kate knew she had to fight. But with what? All she really could do at the moment was leap and avoid the incoming attacks. The demon fired shadow balls and swung his claws at her. There wasn't any sort of weapons to use! All Kate had was a capture styler…and it wouldn't hurt to try.

"Capture on!" Kate tried to capture the demon.

The loops had no affect whatsoever. He wasn't a pokemon so it couldn't work. The demon crushed the disk effortlessly.

"_IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT? YOU MAY BE THE HERO OF LIGHT BUT YOU POSSESS NONE OF THE POWER. ITS OVER, KATE."_

The demon paused, looking up into the darkness for a moment.

"HMMM…IT SEEMS HE IS HERE TOO….VERY WELL…"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Keith watched the tower anxiously as he circled on the staraptor. He heard a sinister voice that sounded awfully familiar before the entire tower was encased in darkness. Sven tried to get in but with no luck. Keith worried if Kate was alright in that tower…

All of a sudden, a giant black clawed hand stretched from the darkness and grabbed Keith.

"WAAAH!"

Keith was pulled off the staraptor and into the darkness, barely hearing Wendy and Sven call after him. He was slammed into the ground with full force. Ow…what happened? It went so fast…

"Keith!"

Kate started to run over to him.

"Kate!" Keith went after her too.

A shadowball separated them both.

"_AHAHAHAHA! PITIFUL HUMANS. YOUR TIME IS ALMOST UP!"_

Keith looked up, shocked and horrified beyond words to see the demon. It was exactly like Blue showed him.

"Keith! That thing is…" Kate was about to say.

"A demon! I know!" Keith interrupted. "Long story! But we need to defeat it!"

"Right!" Kate nodded.

"_YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME!"_

Keith dodged endless attacks of claw strikes and shadow balls. He was trying to come up with a plan only to no avail. If he could only access those light powers….but it seemed as though whatever he inherited from Gavan was small and wouldn't get the job done. What Keith needed was to get Kate's powers to activate. But how? She didn't seem to know she even had them.

"Aaaah!"

Kate's legs were slashed by a shadowball. And looking over at her for a single second cost Keith as well. He was blown back a little ways, feeling the wind was taken right out of him. The demon was powerful…excessively strong. As the battle went on, both rangers got hurt and started to get tired. How in the world was Keith supposed to fight this thing if he had nothing to fight it with?

"_HUMAN SCUM…"_

Keith looked towards Kate. She was knocked onto her back, with the demon right above her.

"_DIE!"_

"NOOOO!"

The claw struck down. And Keith intercepted it.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

No….please no…..that didn't happen….no….

Kate's eyes widened in fear. Keith had jumped right between her and the demon, getting stabbed through the heart with its claw. The demon gave a twisted smile as it pulled its claw out of Keith. The redhead slumped to the group, blood pouring out.

"KEITH!" Kate cradled him in her arms.

His eyes squinted shut while his muscles cringed. Keith was trying to fight the pain. But after a few seconds, he was slumped over and went limp. Kate's eyes were brimming with tears. Keith….he….he couldn't be….

"_BWAHAHAHAHA!"_

Sadness was replaced with fierce determination. Kate searched deep inside herself, begging power to come forth and help her fight this battle. Something seemed to stir inside, growing larger and starting to rise from her. From the darkness, three glows appeared and surrounded Kate. Blue, Red and Yellow…the colors of the Tears of Princes. Then Kate herself started to glow white.

"WHAT IS THIS? THIS POWER?"

**(*)**

Kate could hear music. It was faint at first but started to get louder. The Gems were the ones creating the music! And not just any music! This song…it was the same one Kate started composing when she first reached Almia! Only days ago had she completed it! And it already sounded more beautiful than she imagined…

Standing up, Kate knew what she had to do. Her light grew stronger, transforming her blood stained uniform with a beautiful white dress and hair flowing freely. Feeling her heart cleansed of fear, she began to sing.

_When the cold winds a calling and the sky is clear and bright_

_Misty mountains sing and beckon me out to Almia's light_

_I will ride, I will fly, chase the wind and touch the sky_

_I will fly , chase the wind and touch the sky_

The tower started to turn a bright white, light flowing into the darkness. The demon shrieked and tried to fight it off. He tossed out several shadow balls but Kate threw out a force field of light, almost automatically by reflex. She was relaxed and unafraid anymore.

_Where dark woods hide secrets and mountains are fierce and bold_

_Deep waters hold reflections of times lost long ago_

_I will hear their every story, take hold of my own dream_

_Be as strong as the seas are stormy, proud as staraptor's scream_

_I will ride, I will fly, chase the wind and touch the sky_

_I will fly, chase the wind and touch the sky_

Light enveloped the entire dark rooftop of Altru now. The demon was screaming as the light was swallowing him, burning at his skin. Darkrai, who had been held under his control, collapsed unconscious. Keith was starting to glow as well, his clothes transforming into a regal white princely outfit. Kate sang, feeling more free than she had been in years. This demon, as well as her own personal ones, were finally starting to go away. Everyone would be set free from the ancient darkness.

The song was starting to end. Kate watched the demon turn into particles of light and burst into nothing. Soon, the light surrounding everyone flashed. It was just her and Keith. Kate bent down and held him in her arms.

"Kate…"

Keith weakly opened his eyes.

"Oh Keith…" Kate whispered, stroking the side of his face.

"You…*cough*…defeated the demon….I'm so proud…." Keith grinned.

"You're going to be ok." Kate assured, more herself than to him. "Demon's gone, darkness disappeared…we'll go get help and fix your wounds. You'll be ok…"

"Kate…" Keith looked straight into her eyes. "I love you."

Kate lost all her breath as she stared down at him. After a moment of being stunned, her eyes filled with tears that spilled down her face. He _loved_ her. And Kate loved him in return. She bent over and kissed him.

"I love you too." Kate murmured, smiling.

Keith's shocked look quickly melted to the one expression Kate had previously failed to read; _love_. His body then glowed pure white again. It grew brighter and brighter. Then, it shattered. Keith's light shattered like glass, revealing another layer of pure white light underneath that sparkled beautifully. Eventually, the light died down and Keith was back to himself. His wounds were completely healed. He opened his emerald eyes and sat up, feeling staring at his hands.

"I'm…free…" He gasped.

Tears brimmed the edge of his eyes. He turned to Kate and hugged her tight.

"Kate! You did it!" Keith cried. "You broke my curse!"

"What? But…I…how?" Kate tried to ask, startled at what happened.

"True Love's Song, followed by True Love's Kiss." Keith told her. "That was what I needed to break the spell. And you did it."

Her song to defeat the demon…and then the kiss….had Kate really cured him? More tears started coming. She buried her head into his shoulders. Never again would her love have to suffer as a Pikachu. Kate could be in his arms as long as she wanted, without worrying about him transforming. Keith was free of worry and secrets. He was free…

"I'm your true love?" Kate asked.

"You are." He stroked her head. "I've always loved you. Maybe I'm not the smartest or handsomest man in the world. But I promise to always protect you and make you happy."

As the two started to let go and stand, the light faded away. Their clothes reverted back to ranger uniforms (though Kate's hair stayed down for some reason) and the top of the tower was back where it should be. Darkrai had woken up and went off somewhere. Blake and Wheeler laid unconscious.

"Kate! Keith!"

Sven and Wendy landed the staraptors and raced over. Kate was suffocated by Wendy who hugged her.

"We were so worried!" Wendy definitely showed it, not letting go of Kate. "You two just disappeared down here!"

"What happened down here?" Sven was rubbing Keith's hair.

"A lot of things." Keith sighed. "But it's all over now."

"Where's the gems?" Kate broke away from Wendy's tight grip.

They pointed to where the Shadow Crystal was. There, the three gems were glowing and surrounded the Shadow Crystal…or….what was what it was. It seemed more like the Luminous Crystal now. It was transparent but had a rainbow shine to it. Whatever darkness had been there was gone. Peace was restored to Almia once more.

"You know, we felt something sort of evil when we were flying around." Sven said. "For awhile, it was almost as if all hope was lost. I even started thinking Operation Brighton was a failure."

"But then there was this song. It was so pretty…" Wendy took in a deep breath, closing her eyes. "It restored my faith and reminded me you guys were down there taking care of it. The light on the tower after that was just phenomenal. Whatever you guys did, great work!"

Barlow, Issac and Hastings walked up to the group. Wheeler and Blake woke up and talked to the professor. Hastings gave the restored diary back to Blake, after quoting a few pages that Brighton wrote and revealing Blake's real name was Wyatt. Kate thought it was better to keep that part secret. Keith was probably thinking the same thing. Poor Wyatt…it wasn't all his fault. His father ignored him for most of his young life. Then, Wyatt absorbed the dark power of the Shadow Crystal and listened to the demon's requests, darkening his own heart and sending him into a nightmare.

Wyatt was allowed to walk free, on his own, down to the Altru front to meet his escorts. Hastings questioned both rangers as to what happened while they were in the shroud of darkness. Kate mulled it over, looking as though trying to describe what happened. In the end, she told them she captured darkrai and used the power of the gems to restore light. Kate decided it was best not to mention the demon. Keith glanced at her in agreement. No doubt it was a mission clear!

Everyone started to clear the rooftop to go down to Altru Park. Well…almost everyone.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Hey…Go-Rock's playing!" Kate looked over the edge of the building. "And it's the song from before!"

Keith leaned over the building railing to hear it. Sure enough, it was Kate's song. Different singer and the instruments were a little different. But Go-Rock must've claimed it as their own.

"You ok with them taking your song like that?" Keith asked.

"It's fine. They're using it as an honor and to represent the day light shined." Kate replied. "Besides, I feel the song belongs more to Almia itself than me."

"In any case, I loved your version the best." Keith smiled.

Kate blushed before turning back to the show below. Keith was about to watch when something shimmered in his eye. He turned around, finding a white light hovering above the steps, near the center of the tower. Curious and compelled, Keith quietly snuck away from Kate to go over.

"Good work, Keith."

The light formed into a man, like how Blue was formed only this time he was in white. Keith recognized him immediately.

"You're Gavan." Keith said. "So we finally meet."

"It's a pleasure." Gavan bowed his head. "Thank you for defeating my father and restoring peace to Almia."

"Thanks. But…I'm wondering something. Why did you Kate to inherit your powers?" Keith asked.

"Ah. I figured you'd ask." Gavan smiled knowingly. "Kate shows courage and spiritual strength that was needed to face the demon as well as contain the light powers. And in some ways, she reminded me of my own sweetheart, Lyrica."

"And me?" Keith questioned.

"You possessed strength of your own too. But that wasn't the main reason." Gavan answered. "You are Kate's one true love, her destined soulmate. You're the only one who can, have and will protect her as well as make her truly happy. I knew that you'd be able to handle the responsibilities and burdens. Though I do apologize for setting you with the curse…"

"It's alright. If I had to remain a Pikachu for Kate's safety, then I would." Keith told him.

"Now that the curse is broken and darkness has past, it is time for me and my brothers to go." Gavan said.

Three more glows came from the gems surrounding the Luminous Crystal. They formed into three men; one of them was Blue.

"You and Kate did well, Keith. I believed in you since we first met." Blue bowed his head. "Take care of yourselves."

"Thank you." The other two princes bowed their heads as well.

"Keith, I entrust the safety of the land for you and Kate." Gavan said. "Let light forever flow through Almia with peace and prosperity."

The four brothers closed their eyes and willed themselves to turn to light once more. Their orbs of colored light lifted high into the sky. Keith could've sworn he saw a fourth one join them, a purple light staying right next to Gavan. He watched the lights fly into the heavens until they disappeared completely.

"Keith? What're you doing over there?"

Keith turned to see a confused Kate standing some feet away.

"Just looking at the gems." Keith replied, coming over and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Hard to believe we went through so much with those rocks."

"They're gorgeous." Kate sighed, relaxed.

"I've seen something more beautiful." Keith shrugged.

"Really? Where?" Kate asked.

"You." Keith looked deep into her sparkling blue eyes.

He bent over and kissed her. Kate welcomed the kiss, her eyes dancing wildly among the light. There was love in those eyes. Keith knew she loved him. And he loved her. Always had, always will. Under the light of the gems and with music playing in the background, the two rangers shared the warmth and tsunami force of love in their passionate embrace.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**And thus, Almia's been saved and our lovebirds finally open up to their emotions. I've given you all action, drama, music and a lot of romance! Sniffle…I…I dunno what else to say now!**

**But I wouldn't give up on the story quite yet. There's still one final chapter I'll be uploading very soon before this story's officially over (though I almost don't want it to be!). Keep a sharp eye out for it!**


	54. Epilogue

**This is it! Final chapter guys! Can't believe the time has come already. I've got to say I love all you readers for being so supportive! This was a really fun story to write and something I've been dying to share for quite some time. Thank you EVERYONE!**

**Good news people!. I will be continuing to write multiple Almia fanfics which I promise differ between each & every single one. My next fanfic I'll work on as soon as this chapter's up and posted. It'll be here within 24 hours….3-4 days ****tops****. Keep your eyes open and I very much hope to see you all reading, reviewing and enjoying your little hearts out when it's posted!**

**(*) appears for the last time in the story! The song this time around is 'Solsbury Hill' by Peter Gabriel. I did change the lyrics a touch in the chapter for pokemon/appropriateness/? reasons**

**Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon or any of the songs.**

**Claimer: I do own change in character and plot changes**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Almia was slowly starting to recover from the drastic events that were Dim Sun. Blake was questioned but is still in debate about what the punishment should be. Many Dim Sun grunts were let go, as they were following orders from higher-ups. Numerous admins did get punishments depending on what they were did. Kincaid was eventually caught and put in prison; not a moment sooner, as it was discovered he was going to attempt to revive Dim Sun. While the majority of the organization was caught by the rangers, there were a few that managed to escape.

Both girls from the Crimson Unit left Almia for a fresh new start, to start designing beauty supplies. The researchers that helped the rangers accepted their new job offers and immediately went to peruse new dreams in successful careers. Heath went back to the countryside in a far off region, where his family was. Lavana was rumored to have fled to Johto. Ice was never seen again.

The Union was kept busy with requests of citizens as well as fixing the base itself from damages. Altru would soon be back in business again, asking Issac to rejoin them. The genius said no, as it had too much history, and accepted Professor Hastings offer as his assistant. Pokemon across the region were happy again, living their lives alongside humans peacefully. None was happier than Darkrai though, who kept a vigilant watch over the Luminous Crystal.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Hey Crawford! Luana!"

The group of friends welcomed the Vientown rangers as they picnicked over Lookout Ridge. Since it was a slow day, they were all allowed the day off. Kate was strumming a few chords on her new guitar, relaxed with Keith beside her. Wendy, Sven, Rhythmi and Marus rolled out the food and started munching on some sandwiches.

"Food looks great!" Crawford sat down, reaching for one. "Who made it?"

"I did!" Wendy raised her hand. "But Rhyth did help me out some."

"Hey Rhythmi? Is that an egg?" Sven asked, noticing the pokemon egg in the operator's lap.

"Yep!" Rhythmi stroking the egg carefully. "Kate and Keith let me keep it."

"Whose the mommy and daddy?" Luana asked.

"Chia and Wave." Kate gestured to the pachirisu and buizel playing with the other partner pokemon.

"No way!"

"Well I'll be darned!"

"Those two are together?"

"Well…" Rhythmi smirked. "Not just the pokemon."

Everyone stared at Kate and Keith. They could feel themselves turning red at the remark. Their friends had devious smiles crossing their faces.

"Get out!"

"You two?"

"I didn't think he'd ever tell her…"

"Oh my gosh!"

"Now when was this?" Sven chuckled.

"A…a few days ago….during Operation Brighton….." Kate nervously responded.

"You know, we're not the only couple here!" Keith pointed out, trying to move the spotlight off of them. "Like, oh I don't know, _Rhythmi and Marcus_."

"You idiot! I was keeping it a surprise!" Rhythmi snapped, ready to tear into him if Marcus didn't intervene.

"While we're out in the open here…" Sven grabbed Wendy's hand. "We're dating too."

"Us too as of last night!" Luana chimed in, locking arms with red-faced Crawford. "Plus Ollie proposed to Elaine recently! Their wedding's going to be soon!"

"Wow it seems like everyone is hooking up!"

"I know! Is love in the air or what?"

"Cupid's gotta be working overtime."

"Who'll be the next couple? Murph and Linda?"

"No but Linda seems to like Issac."

"Get out! I thought Linda went for guys like Sven."

"No you're thinking of one of the bottom floor operators, Sakra."

Kate smiled, listening to the hilarious conversation her best friends were sharing. She strummed the guitar a little, playing a few notes from a song she forgot a long time ago. Sven seemed to take notice.

"I know that song." He said. "Isn't that 'Lookout Ridge'?"

"Yep." Kate replied. "I remember the notes but forgot the actual lyrics."

"I remember them!" Luana perked up.

"Me too!" Marcus raised his hand.

**(*)**

Kate played the song, just as she knew. Sven, Marcus and Luana started singing.

_Climbing up on Lookout Ridge, I could see the city light_

_Wind was blowing, time stood still. Starly flew out of the night_

_He was something to observe. Came in close, I heard a voice_

_Standing stretching every nerve. Had to listen, had no choice._

_I did not believe the information. Just left it to imagination._

_My heart goin boom boom boom_

"_Son" He said. "Grab your things, I'm gonna take you home."_

At around this point, the others started to remember the rest the song. One by one they started to sing along with them.

_To keep in silence I resigned. My friends would think I was a nut_

_Turning water into wine. Open doors would soon be shut_

_So I went from day to day. Thought my life was in a rut_

_Till I thought of what'd I say, and which connection I should cut_

_I was feelin part of the scenery. I walked right out of the machinery._

_My heart goin boom boom boom._

_Son, he said, grab your things I've come to take you home_

Kate felt herself get lost in the music and melody of her friends. She started singing, feeling whatever stopped her in the past had vanished.

_When illusion spin her net, I'm never where I want to be _

_I'd never dreamed she'd pirouette. When I think that I am free_

_Watched by empty silhouettes. Close their eyes but still can see_

_No one taught them etiquette, so I show another me_

_Today I don't need a replacement. I'll tell them what the smile on my face meant._

_My heart goin boom boom boom_

_Hey, I said, you can keep my things they've come to take me home_

_Come back home. Come back home. Come back home…._

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**Happy ending to your satisfactory? I could envision this entire scene happening; so peaceful (sigh). Again, thank you so much for reading (and reviewing & enjoying!). Keep an eye out for my next fanfic!**

***gives ice cream to those who have read my long winded note in the beginning of the chapter***


End file.
